Engagement On Hold
by pei-chan
Summary: AU Uchiha Sasuke is Konoha High's reigning prince. Haruno Sakura is...? Who is she again? What happens when the guy everybody knows finds himself engaged to a girl nobody knows?
1. Prologue

**Engagement On Hold**

**Summary:** (AU) Uchiha Sasuke is Konoha High's reigning prince. Haruno Sakura is…? Who is she again? What happens when the guy everybody knows finds himself engaged to the girl nobody knows?

**Genre:**Romance/Humor/Drama

**Pairings:** Sasuke/Sakura, Naruto/Hinata (for now)

**Author:**pei-chan

**Beta-reader:**Ruru Kitsuneko

**Disclaimer:** Wouldn't it be nice if Sasuke and Sakura were really engaged in the Naruto series? Then again, that would only occur in our dreams… ne?

**EDIT:** The mistake for the sand sibling's last name has been changed from 'Subaku' to 'Sabaku' for the entire story.

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Chapter 1—Prologue**

Another day, another pain in the ass… or so she says. As she strolled towards school, she thought of her precious day passing by, wasting away just to spend time with her egotistical schoolmates. She quickened her pace to make sure she wasn't late for school.

With her hair the color of the famous Cherry Blossoms and with her eyes as shiny as a jade, Haruno Sakura was mostly considered as one peculiar girl. Her Cherry Blossom tresses were tied into two separate buns and huge moon shaped spectacles completely obscured her jade orbs. She really wasn't fond of standing out. It was very irritating for her to cram too much attention from the student body; therefore, staying in the background was good enough for her.

She gazed at her school, Konoha High, with a sigh escaping her pale rosy lips. Another day had to come by and she had to go to this school. She never did like her school, but what could she do. It was her mother's decision to enroll her here, and she couldn't do anything to go against her wishes. After all, it was very difficult to argue with her mother. No, no, her mother wasn't strict or anything of the fact, but her mother could be a real pain in the ass. It was futile having an argument with her.

The one thing she hated about this school was that this school was a private school. A rich private school—meaning, there would be many snobbish and irritating people. As she walked through the hallways, she watched as random girls and guys passed by her without even noticing her. Not that she cared or anything. It had always been like this. They ignored her like she didn't exist and she tried her best to ignore them, not even wanting to be at least 5 feet near them.

"Oi, Sakura!" A girl's voice called out.

No one usually calls her around school, she didn't think many people even knew her name, and that included the teachers, except for some people. She whirled around to find her gaze on to her stepsister, Sabaku Temari.

"Temari-neechan, what is it?" Sakura inquired, blinking in question. Temari had golden blonde hair tied in a set of pigtails on the sides of her head and a ponytail at the back of her head. It was a very peculiar style, but most guys found it very cool. She also possessed dark colored eyes completing her gangster image.

"You woke up late again. We tried waking you up but you kept snoring like a pig." Temari nudged her sister, teasing her.

"Hey! I did not—nor do I snore like a pig!" Sakura said defensively, blushing at her sister's comment. Temari merely giggled at her sister's embarrassment. Sakura faked a cough, trying to regain her composure. "Hey, don't tell me Gaara saw that too."

"Yup, he did." Temari brought her index finger to her lips, thinking of something. "And from what I remember he tried kicking you on your back to wake you up, but to no avail. You were as asleep as a rock."

"Eh!" Sakura gasped in surprise. "He's going to have something to tease me with ag—"

Suddenly, some random girl, who ran into her without even noticing that she had hit someone, knocked her to the ground.

"Hey, you okay?" The girl's companion asked to her friend.

"Yeah—geez, why do people have to keep blocking the hallway anyways!" The girl exclaimed, irritated. Her glare didn't seem to be directed towards Sakura, but towards the ground where she sat. "Tch," the girl spat out as she stood up with her friend supporting her.

"Geek!" The other girl insulted, exchanging Sakura a final glare before the two girls made their way towards who knows where.

Sakura slowly stood up, and dusted her legs from the dirt that she might have caught from the ground. "I hate the people here—makes me want to strangle them to bits!" Sakura growled as she balled her hand into a very tight fist.

"Relax, they're just a bunch of lowlifes. Besides you're the one who's bringing your own downfall by dressing like a pauper geek." Temari stated coolly. _Every single day, people look past her like she doesn't exist, how does she do it?_

"Yeah, and be like those spoiled brats, thinking that just because they have money they're so full of themselves. They're even dirtier than pigs rolling around in mud." Sakura said grudgingly.

"That's not nice." A deep male voice commented.

The two girls turned to the side only to see their other brother. "Kankuro-niichan, what brings you here?" Sakura inquired with mild curiosity.

"Shouldn't you be in class or something?" Temari cocked a suspicious golden blonde brow.

"Hey, can't I wander around in school without you prying into my life. You should remember well who the older sibling is, you know." Kankuro said defensively.

"You're only older than Sakura, not me. Isn't your sensei going to yell at you for being tardy?" Temari inquired.

"No, and it's not like I care. Besides, for contributing such high amounts of money every month, it's the least the teachers could do." Kankuro shrugged.

"You may have forgotten, but every student contributes money to this school."

"Yeah, but not as much as us." Kankuro gave a sly smirk. "How about you? Aren't you worried about getting late? It's already 8:30. You're completely late for class."

Temari merely shook her head hard-heartedly. Well, she didn't really care about attendance anyway, but her brother did have a point.

"Eh!" Sakura exclaimed as she gasped.

"What?" The two siblings asked simultaneously.

"I'm going to be late! Oh no, well then bye nee-chan, nii-chan. See you later." Sakura said quickly as she dashed off towards the direction of her homeroom.

The two siblings watched their sister—scratch that, stepsister—dash off worriedly towards her homeroom. She had always been a model student, which made it easier for their fellow schoolmates to taunt her.

"Look at her go," Kankuro commented comically after a moment of silence as he watched his stepsister's panicking figure.

"What time is it anyway?" Temari asked still keeping her eyes on the trail that her stepsister made. Kankuro opened his mouth to repeat his answer before only to be cut off immediately by his older sister. "The _real_ time."

"Eight o'clock," Kankuro said, lifting his arm to gaze at his black and expensive watch. "There's 30 minutes left."

A teasing smirk grazed on Temari's lips. "We're such evil siblings, aren't we?"

"I know."

"It's fun playing with her carefree—"

"Don't forget violent," Kankuro added abruptly, interrupting his sister's sentence.

"—personality." Temari continued, glancing at her brother with a small glare.

"I wonder were she got her violent side from." Kankuro wondered, bringing his hand to his chin, faking a thought.

"Watch it," Temari hissed. "If you want to get home in one peace, I suggest you zip that mouth of yours."

"I didn't even say it was you," Kankuro defended innocently.

Temari snorted, "Yeah right. Like you weren't thinking of it."

* * *

Immediately opening the sliding door, Sakura dashed inside the room only to notice that there were only 10 students inside the class. She averted her gaze towards the wall clock only to realize that it was only 8 in the morning and there were 30 minutes left. A gasp escaped her pale lips followed by a murderous glare, directed to her two siblings―who weren't there at the moment, so she was only glaring at nothing but air. _Those two… they're playing with me again. Damn them!_

Sighing in defeat, Sakura decided to just take her seat and dismiss her irritation… for now. She walked towards her seat slowly, noticing the raven-haired hunk sitting on the desk behind hers. He was just staring at the window blankly, holding no specific expression on his face. His elbow was positioned on his desk with his chin resting on the back of his hand. Many girls in the school were always commenting—scratch that, worshipping his handsome looks like he was a god that descended from above.

Watching him from the corner of her eye as she continued to stroll towards her seat, she had to admit that the popular Uchiha Sasuke _did_ have good looks—she'll give him that. But, that was it, and there was nothing else that was special about him.

When Sakura arrived at her seat, a seemingly invisible force knocked her down from her seat… and away from Uchiha Sasuke. She looked up to find out who had pushed her only to find a random and obsessed fangirl, ogling at Sasuke and trying to get him to notice her.

The fangirl clasped her hands and wriggled her eyelashes, trying to fake an innocent smile. "Ne, Sasuke-kun! You sure come early every morning. That's why everyone looks up to you, 'cause you're _so_ responsible." The fangirl sighed dreamily.

Sakura could only glare at the fangirl in disgust, who pushed her away from her seat, preventing her from being anywhere near the Uchiha seating behind her. _Ugh, disgusting. Their obsession just pisses me off to no end. Can't I spend my day normal around this place?_

Sakura stood up with her fist prepared to pound the fangirl to a bloody pulp for being rude to her when a sweet and soft voice called her name. "Um… Sakura-chan…"

Hearing the voice calmed her anger as she turned around and merely blinked in question at the person who called her. When she was able to get a good view of the person's face, Sakura's expression immediately softened. "Ah, Hinata-chan, I didn't see you come in." Sakura greeted casually.

Hinata nodded her head in understanding. "I just came in. I figured that you were about to beat that girl up. Um… were you pushed around again?" Hinata asked softly.

Sakura nodded, the irritation towards the oblivious girl entertaining Sasuke slowly ebbing away. "I want to have a new seating arrangement."

Hinata only laughed nervously, trying to think of a topic other than school. It was hopeless anyway. It would be the same every single day and they could do nothing about it. After all, like Sakura, Hyuuga Hinata was also forced to go to Konoha High by her strict parents. They said something about, 'upholding the family honor by going to the best school'.

"Sakura-chan… are you still waiting for me today after school?" Hinata asked, changing the subject.

Sakura brought her hand to her lips, thinking of something. "Gomen, I won't be able to because my mother wants me to go home early today. She said it was something about an important family matter." _She doesn't usually stay at the house for more than a day. I wonder what she wants._

"That… that's okay." Hinata said.

"I'm really sorry… but I know you'll do fine without me. Besides, I'm not in the Karate club anyway." Sakura said, scratching her head while sweat dropping.

It was still a mystery to her how a timid girl like Hinata would be part of a Karate club. She didn't really think that a girl like Hinata would have the guts to hurt someone physically. It was just not in her character. She felt pity for the timid girl when she found out that Hinata was a part of the Hyuuga family… the family who was the master of martial arts. It was a wonder for Sakura on how the Hyuuga family might think of her being a timid girl and all.

Sakura snapped out of her reverie when she heard a mutter of, "You're annoying," coming from the room. Sakura and Hinata blinked in confusion when they saw the supposedly blank faced Uchiha Sasuke, glaring at his own fangirl irritably. The fangirl whimpered in fear as she slowly backed away and left the Uchiha, afraid to tick him off even more.

Sakura grimaced as she saw the poor girl whimpering in fear as she left, "Serves her right."

Suddenly the sliding door bolted open, revealing an exhausted spiky blonde boy with tired cerulean eyes. After catching his breath, his eyes trailed around the room until it stopped, gazing at their direction. Sakura noticed this and averted her gaze to her bestfriend, who was blushing ferociously. She was so red that she might faint anytime soon.

The blonde boy bolted until he came face to face with the timid Hyuuga, which made her back up, trying to give the both of them some space.

"Good morning, Hinata-chan!" The blonde greeted enthusiastically. "Hey, have you seen that bastard anywhere?"

"E… eh?" Hinata answered with her own question as her mind refused to function properly, with her mind only registering that her crush Uzumaki Naruto was talking to her.

"That bastard! The heart throb in our school—the great Uchiha Sasuke." Naruto stated mimicking a fangirl's high voice, only making himself sound gay at that moment.

Hinata couldn't help but giggle at Naruto's childish actions.

"Oi, I can hear you, you know." A voice said vacantly.

"Ah, there you are! Where did you go, you bastard!" Naruto yelled as he averted his gaze towards the Uchiha sitting on his desk.

"I've been here the whole time, but you were too stupid to notice. And here I am still wondering how you got a scholarship to enter this school." Sasuke sighed in mocking disbelief.

"I'm smarter than you and you know it!" Naruto chirped arrogantly.

"Yeah right, in your dreams, dobe." Sasuke stated simply.

A sigh escaped Sakura's lips as she watched the two bickering boys. Deciding that she had enough of the two, she averted her gaze towards her timid best friend. "Want to go, Hinata?"

Hinata blinked as she took her eyes off of the two boys. "Um… okay."

They turned to leave only to have a familiar voice calling them—or rather, Hinata. "Hinata-chan wait!"

Turning around, Hinata yet again came face-to-face with Naruto. Only this time… his face was inches away from her, meaning one thing, she would be kissing him if her head approached his any closer. With blood rushing to her face, making her blush crimson red, she wasn't able to take the pressure that she fainted at the sight of his face inches away from hers.

THUD!

The noise was heard throughout the room and everyone's attention was focused on the fallen Hyuuga. In instinct, Sakura knelt down to check up on her bestfriend. She brought her index and middle finger beside the fallen girl's neck, checking for her pulse. When she felt there was still a pulse from Hinata, Sakura was able to sit back, sighing in relief. She was still alive—thank goodness! For a minute there, Sakura thought that Hinata was going to have a heart attack from the expression that appeared on her face.

Sakura's calm state was soon ruined when Naruto knelt down panicking.

"Hinata-chan! Hinata-chan! Speak to me! You're not dead are you?" Naruto asked hysterically as he shook her shoulder vigorously, trying to wake the girl up.

_He's going to kill her in that state!_ Sakura thought dumbfounded. "Hey, stop it you!" Sakura ordered when she snapped out of her reverie.

"Oh no! Oh no! What am I going to do? What am I going to do?" Naruto ranted quickly. "I know!" He snapped his fingers when he found out an idea.

Without thinking, his mouth hovered above the unconscious girl's own. Slowly, he brought his lips closer to hers, earning a gasp from Sakura.

_What is he doing? Is he that stupid?_ Sakura thought utterly shocked. Regaining her composure, she balled her hands into fists. _He is not going to steal Hinata's first kiss. No way am I letting him violate her with that—that mouth of his!_

Naruto's mouth continued to go closer and closer towards the unconscious girl in his arms. Sakura could swear that his lips were pouting comically while doing so. Not the most romantic thing is it?

She couldn't take the pressure any longer. Drawing her fist back, she punched him with all the force that she could muster. Good thing she did it just in time. If she restrained herself any longer, Naruto would succeed in stealing Hinata's first kiss. Naruto flew right across the room until his back hit the wall, creating a tiny dent on the expensive wall.

Sakura lowered her fists and growled while doing so. She watched as the blonde boy staggered to stand up still grunting in pain. She didn't care if he got mad at her or anything. She wouldn't be scared. It should be him who should be scared now that he made her mad. But getting mad wasn't in Naruto's vocabulary as of now, as his reaction had been… different.

"Hey, what's the big idea!" Naruto shot out towards the culprit.

Sakura just remained silent, but continued to glare at the blonde.

Naruto walked towards her, holding not a glare that was directed at her, but rather a baffled expression. When he was close enough to get a good look of her face, Naruto chuckled.

"Are you a new student around here?" He abruptly asked.

Sakura's temple twitched in slight irritation. "What was that…?"

"I've never seen you around here. Are you a new student? Nice to meet you, I'm Uzumaki Naruto the best student in this school!" Naruto greeted with eagerness.

"You… are… so… stupid…" Sakura murmured, sighing.

Naruto blinked not able to hear what she said. "Eh? What's your name? Hey, not that I'm interested in you or anything; I just want to know. You're not as pretty as Hinata-chan anyway." Naruto commented haughtily.

Sakura twitched again, her irritation increasing more and more. _I've been in your class for a year straight and you ask me this question—now!_ Sakura sighed in disbelief. _And what was that you just said! Are you saying I'm ugly! Why you—!_

Sakura decided to hold her anger and not lose her control. "I give up." Sakura sighed in defeat. "You are so hopeless." _And here I am wondering how Hinata was able to develop feelings for you._

Sasuke merely grunted in boredom as he sighed. "First thing in the morning and they're already driving me nuts."

* * *

Besides the commotion earlier in the morning, Uchiha Sasuke's day had been as normal as it could be—minus the fangirls ogling at him whenever he went. Yes, he was sure disgusted by it. Heck, he even heard one of them asking another random fangirl one time what brand of underwear he was wearing. Like seriously, they weren't called fans anymore, they were more like obsessed little twitter bags.

He was so relieved now that he was able to go home—away from all the fangirls, the geeks (heh, the geeks…), and his best friend, Naruto. He was relieved that Naruto wasn't there anymore to shout in his ear whenever he did something wrong. Personally, Sasuke thought—no, knew that Naruto always messed things up whenever he got the chance. It made people wonder: how they turned from rivals to best friends. Well, let's just keep it to those two.

He was about leave the high school grounds of Konoha when Sasuke saw his cursed older brother at the garden separating Konoha High and Konoha Institute (University). Damn! Right when he was about to have his own private time, someone just has to come and bother him again. And his brother was the last person he wanted to see right now. No, no, they didn't hate each other. They just loved watching the other suffer without getting tired of it—or at least, Itachi did. Sasuke could personally do without the twisted display of affection.

There was no use trying to hide from his brother now that he already saw him, so he decided to approach his older brother hesitantly.

"Ah, if it isn't my dear little brother," Itachi greeted with a casual smile. "I hope you had a great time today."

"Just cut to the chase Itachi. Why are you here? You don't usually go to the high school grounds unless you have to talk to me—which is rare." Sasuke said impatiently. He never did like being around his brother for more than the times that he needed to be when they lived in the same house—er, mansion.

"Mother forgot to tell you, because you left so early in the morning, that we have to go to her friend's house today for an important gathering." Itachi informed.

"It's her friend. Why do we need to come there for?" Sasuke argued with a cocked onyx brow.

"I suggest you just come… that is if you don't want mother to do something we'll both regret." Itachi said confidently. Deciding not to waste any more time, Itachi simply walked away, leaving his younger brother behind.

Sighing in defeat, Sasuke reluctantly trailed behind his brother. He was getting a bad feeling about this. Just the idea of the whole family gathering in a family's associate's place was very suspicious—very suspicious indeed.

"By any chance, do you happen to know whose place we're going to?" Sasuke abruptly asked after a brief moment of silence. He at least wanted to know whose place they were going to.

Itachi took a brief moment to rearrange his thoughts. "I believe we're going to the… Haruno estate."

Haruno?

He was quite familiar with that name.

But the problem was… where did he first hear it?

_**TBC**_

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A/N:** Decided to make another fic. I've been thinking of writing this fic for quite a while. Let's say… a year and a half perhaps. Yeah, I know. I was too chicken to post it 'cause I don't think that it would be a hit. I just don't know if you guys would like it. Tell me… is it good… or bad? Please review and make pei-chan happy!

Tee hee! That moment with Naruto trying to steal a kiss from Hinata was a last minute touch. I've never read about anything like that yet, so it was worth to try. I must admit that I was quite pleased with the result.

Well, here's a sneak preview of the next chapter.

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Chapter 2—You're Engaged!**

The pink haired girl kept the piercing glare on her face as she looked at her blonde stepsister. "I hate wealthy people." She murmured with pure hatred. She couldn't control her anger as she shouted and screamed in anger as she disappeared towards the other side of the door.

"Oh, great." The blonde haired girl sighed. She cocked her head to the side and yelled. "Mom, Sakura's been thought as a maid again!"

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Uploaded:** March 16, 2006

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EDIT:** There wasn't really much to edit in this chapter… or maybe, I was just too lazy to edit it in the best of my abilities. I just made some minor adjustments and corrected some of the grammatical errors that needed fixing.


	2. You're Engaged!

**Engagement On Hold**

**Summary:** (AU) Uchiha Sasuke is Konoha High's reigning prince. Haruno Sakura is…? Who is she again? What happens when the guy everybody knows finds himself engaged to the girl nobody knows?

**Genre:**Romance/Humor/Drama

**Pairings:** Sasuke/Sakura, Naruto/Hinata (for now)

**Author:**pei-chan

**Beta-reader:**Ruru Kitsuneko

**Disclaimer:** Wouldn't it be nice if Sasuke and Sakura were really engaged in the Naruto series? Then again, that would only occur in our dreams… ne?

**A/N:** Wow, I got so many reviews. That's… weird. It's nice that you guys like it though. To **saki-kun**, their ages are as follows:

**Sakura** - 16

**Sasuke** - 16

**Naruto** - 16

**Hinata** - 16

**Gaara** - 17

**Temari** - 18

**Kankuro** - 18 (9 months younger than Temari)

**Itachi** - 21 (I forgot to put his… sorry.)

They're the characters that just came out recently. The other characters would come out soon… eventually. To **snow-leopard-demon24**, Gaara will definitely be in this fic. After all, he is Sakura's brother. He'll be playing quite a big role.

Thank you to all the people who reviewed! I would personally like to thank, **Danica Loy**, **Infinite Inficio**, **Leiral**, **4ever2belove**, **daydreamer53221**, **Kurenai Chinoumi**, **XxaoshixX**, krista,**Reiyuka Yukimoto**, **neu chi no nai u**, **saki-kun**, **snow-leopard-demon24**, NameNotNeeded, **puRpLebLuSh017**, **Unheard Symphony**, **sakuraninja**, **'uniquegirl'** for leaving a review in the last chapter. Arigatou Gozaimasu! Well, on with the chapter.

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Chapter 2—You're Engaged!**

A sigh escaped her lips. Her exhausting day hadn't been any different from any other ordinary day. She would arrive in school as an invisible person. No one would talk to her or acknowledge her presence except her own siblings and her timid best friend. Heck, even her own teachers didn't know her name—and she had been in their class for at least 5 months for God sakes! They're teachers! It was their job to know their own students names—damn it!

Gazing impassively at the enormous and gorgeous mansion before her, she sighed and entered through the huge gates as it slowly opened, welcoming her in.

Welcoming her… yeah right.

* * *

Here he was, sitting on one of his mother's friend's expensive couches. His eyes darted around the room, inspecting the place. So far, the only thing he found out was that the family who owned this place was rich—extremely. They might even be wealthier than his family.

He scoffed. It wasn't like he gave a damn! That only meant that he had to associate with someone who was… snobby… or spoiled—same difference. The only thing he wanted was to get out of this damn place. He'd been in many wealthy families' luxurious mansions, and his opinion was still the same.

They were all the same.

His mother's cheerful voice snapped him out of his peaceful reverie.

"Sasuke dear, why the long face. You should cheer up a little now that I have a special surprise for you." Uchiha Mikoto stated cheerfully.

Sasuke maintained his impassive expression. "Can't you just show it to me at home?"

"No dear, it has to be in here because my surprise for you is located here." Mikoto chirped happily. She was too happy for Sasuke's opinion. It only meant one thing… she was planning something.

Something drastic again…

_Whatever… it doesn't matter to me whatever mother's planning. It'll just be something stupid and useless anyway._ Sasuke thought.

But what the heck! What kind of surprise is something that involved his whole family to attend? Damn, now he had to spend time with his older brother. And Itachi would try to find a way just to annoy him. He wasn't pleased with the situation at all. Not one bit.

"Mikoto, why don't you just tell him already?" Uchiha Fugaku snapped impatiently. "You don't need to wait for those people."

"Ah, but it would be better, Fugaku-kun! That way, we'd see a more amusing reaction, ne?" Mikoto replied slyly.

This caused the older Uchiha to smirk. Now, he was really curious what his parents had in store for his younger brother. If they were this excited about their so-called 'surprise', then he couldn't help but become interested.

_How long do we have to wait here?_ Sasuke thought impatiently.

As if on cue, a flaming crimson haired boy emerged from the door beside them. He immediately noticed their presence as he gave the Uchiha family a catatonic gaze. He didn't like these people being in their mansion.

For one… their mother was as weird as his. Their father had a temper management problem— based on his observations. The two siblings were both arrogant good-looking jerks. He was someone who tended to be picky when it came to people. Basically, he never really trusted other people except for his family.

What was his mother thinking—bringing these strangers into their house? And heck—even inviting these strangers en masse familia no less! He didn't like the idea. Mother was planning something… and he'd bet their last cent that it involved his younger sister.

Not good.

A sigh escaped Uchiha Fugaku's lips, as the small thread measuring his patience was growing rather thin. He gazed at his empty teacup bitterly. If they wanted him to wait patiently, the least they could do was stash a maid somewhere near them. His gaze averted towards the catatonic crimson haired boy, leaning on a wall beside a door. As his gaze returned to the empty teacup, his mind was muttering between the lines of, _I definitely need more tea. Doesn't this family have well trained maids that would come to a visitor's service every now and then?_

Suddenly, footsteps were heard coming closer to the living room where they were. The footsteps grew louder and louder until a pink haired girl emerged from the door opposite them. She was dressed in a pleated lavender skirt, a white-buttoned blouse, black tights, and close-toed house slippers, with her eyes obscured with huge thick lenses and her hair twined in a haphazard Chinese double bun held together with long Chinese hair needles.

Because of her appearance, Uchiha Fugaku immediately made an assumption of thinking that ran along the lines of…

"Hey, you." Fugaku called sternly. "Get me another cup of tea will you. Remember that I want peppermint tea." He ordered, shoving the teacup into the pink haired girl's petite hands.

The pink haired girl merely blinked at him in confusion. "E… excuse me?"

Her baffled statement stole the two Uchiha siblings' attention. Uchiha Sasuke cocked an eyebrow at her direction, while Uchiha Itachi continued to stare at her with mild amusement.

"I told you to get me peppermint tea," Fugaku repeated, slightly irritated. "Weren't you maids trained to serve your visitors when they need it?"

Her temple involuntarily twitched in irritation. "What… did you call me?" She growled in a low voice as she gritted her teeth in anger.

"A maid shouldn't ask any questions. You're supposed to do what you're told." Sasuke stated frigidly.

"Now, stop asking questions before I get you fired." Fugaku said as his irritation reverted into anger.

This was the last straw! First, she was ignored and shunned away at school. Now, strangers come barging into her house, making farfetched assumptions of her being a maid. They are so going to get it!

She tightened her grip onto the teacup as her other hand balled into a furious twitching fist. With the empty teacup still occupying her other hand, she stomped towards the coffee table and slammed the teacup at the table with as much force as she could muster.

After giving a cold glare at Uchiha Fugaku, she angrily stomped towards the opposite door, spouting curses along the way. She momentarily halted when a golden blonde haired girl emerged from the other side of the door with a baffled expression evident on her face.

The golden blonde haired girl averted her gaze towards the awestruck Uchiha Fugaku and turned back to look at her fuming little step sister. "Don't tell me…"

The pink haired girl kept the piercing glare on her face as she looked at her blonde stepsister. "I hate wealthy people." She murmured with pure hatred. She couldn't control her anger as she shouted and screamed in anger as she disappeared towards the other side of the door.

"Oh, great," the blonde haired girl sighed. She cocked her head to the side and yelled. "Mom, Sakura's been thought as a maid again!"

A minute passed until a gorgeous looking woman with pale lavender tresses appeared. "Oh my… again?" She asked with a sweet sigh and shook her head. "Gaara dear, would you please get your sister? I imagine she would be somewhere… destroying something again." She finished the last of her requested order in an audible undertone as Gaara nodded slowly and disappeared out the door.

The pale lavender haired woman strolled towards the puzzled Fugaku and extended her soft, smooth and pale hand. "Haruno Sumire Sohma Sabaku, at your service; you must be Uchiha Fugaku. Mikoto-chan has talked a lot about you." She smiled sweetly.

Fugaku reluctantly took her hand and gave an uneasy smile, "Likewise."

Mikoto stood up and approached the two, "That wasn't…"

Sumire faked a laugh as she waved her hands. "Oh don't worry about it. People always think she's a maid here anyway. It's nothing new."

From behind, the golden blonde girl sighed. _I can't believe she says something like that about her own daughter to other people. She has no shame. Utterly shameless._

"Ah, these two must be your sons." Sumire chirped happily as she trailed her eyes from one Uchiha sibling to another with her eyes gleaming with interest.

Sasuke furrowed an eyebrow, not at all affected by Sumire's outburst. _It's great to know that there's someone in the world who came from the same planet as Mother._

"Uchiha Itachi, at your service; it's very nice to meet you Sumire-san." Itachi gave a gentle smile as he extended his hand towards Sumire's.

"Uchiha Sasuke," Sasuke said casually.

Sumire nodded in recognition. She turned back towards her golden blonde daughter and said, "Temari dear, will you get Kankuro?"

Her mother was too happy-go-lucky for her liking… but—oh well. The best thing to do was just do what she says, and get worried about things later. That is… if she was still sane after this day was over.

When Temari disappeared out the door to get her brother, Sumire turned all her attention back towards the Uchiha family, trying to entertain them until her children's arrival.

"Sorry to keep you waiting." A new voice said after Temari had left a couple of minutes before.

Sasuke directed his attention towards the source of the voice and saw the same flaming crimson haired boy from before and on his shoulder—was the fuming pink haired girl from before.

"Let me go! Gaara-niichan!" The pink haired girl screamed as she pounded on her brother's back wildly.

At the same time, Temari emerged from the door followed by the blanked faced Kankuro. The two merely raised an eyebrow at their little sister's latest rampage. They both entered the room, their eyes focused on the Uchihas.

After the two came in the room, Gaara immediately released his hold on his sister, dropping her to fall on her bottom on the carpeted marble floor.

"Ouch, you could have put me down gentler." The pink haired girl said, while rubbing her aching rear. She slowly stood up, glaring at her emotionless brother.

Gaara merely shrugged in response.

"Sakura dear? Could you come here?" Sumire asked, stopping the escalation of her two children's future argument.

Sakura turned to look at her mother warily before retorting. "No way! There's no way in hell you can make me come anywhere near those rich jerks. Calling me a maid, ha! Next thing you know, Temari-neechan's a prostitute."

"Watch it," Temari growled with a throbbing fist.

Sakura turned towards her sister and mouthed silently, "Gomen," before averting her gaze back towards her peculiar mother. "What are these people doing here, anyway? They're not welcome here!"

Sumire only gave a sly giggle, indicating that she had something in store up her sleeve. Suspicious indeed. Sumire smirked before she stated her bizarre announcement, "Sakura dear, I'm afraid they'll be coming to this house more often from now on." She gave an innocent smile as an after effect.

"What are you planning Mother?" Temari inquired warily, her eyebrow raised.

Sumire turned towards Temari with her innocent smile still in place. "Whatever makes you think that, Temari dear?"

Temari sighed inwardly,_Just from facial expression, its very conspicuous that you're definitely planning something._

Sasuke turned to gaze at his mother, Mikoto, seeing that she also held a sly smirk on her face.

_They're planning something…_ Sakura and Sasuke thought in unison.

Sasuke noticed his mother stroll towards him. He eyed her warily when she forced him to stand up with the same smirk plastered on her face. He wanted to protest, but when his mother pushed him towards the geeky and unattractive looking girl named Sakura, his mind was screaming, _What the hell!_

At the same time, Sumire also got the chance to push her daughter closer to Mikoto's baffled son.

When the two parents stopped pushing their children, they both squealed in delight. In their minds, they were thinking between the lines of, _They look so cute together!_

"What is this? Another social lesson, Mother? I don't need anyone to associate with. I'm fine with my life, thanks." Sakura snapped coldly.

"On the contrary dear, I would like you to meet your fiancée, Uchiha Sasuke." Sumire smiled, making her daughter feel an uncontrollable urge to wipe that smile of her face.

Then again, Sakura didn't have time worrying about her mother as her mind was occupied with something else.

"WHAT!" Sakura and Sasuke exclaimed simultaneously.

Sakura stood there, utterly awestruck from her mother's announcement. No way. There was no way this was happening. Her life in school wasn't the best one and now her mother just had to ruin her personal life.

Sasuke remained silent. So, that what this was all about. Bringing the whole family in a stranger's mansion… it didn't feel right. Now he knew what his mother was so excited about. Damn it! Looking towards his awestruck _fiancée _and examining her geeky image, Sasuke was definitely sure that he didn't want to spend his whole life with this girl.

"My, my, isn't that just dandy, little brother? Now, you won't have to worry about going home and seeing your house in a mess. And you won't even have to hire a housekeeper." Itachi chuckled teasingly.

Sakura and Sasuke turned to the older Uchiha, glaring daggers towards his location. "Watch it," they said in unison.

"And look Sumire-chan, they said the same thing. They must understand each other—already!" Mikoto chirped happily.

Sasuke could only frown at his mother's delight. This was definitely not something to be delighted about.

Sakura balled her hands into fists and growled with pure anger. "What kind of stupid joke is this? There's no way will I comply to this!" _There's no way in hell!_

"Well, that's not something you decided, Sakura dear." Sumire replied cunningly.

Sakura glared at her lavender haired mother. "What about, Temari-neechan? Why didn't you plan an engagement for her? Why only me, then?" This was unfair—very unfair for her.

"Oh, but Temari's already 19. She's legally past the age of consent already, which means she can decide things for herself." Sumire said with a bright smile on her face.

"Uh, mom, I'm 18." Temari corrected.

"Didn't you just have your birthday a month ago?" Sumire asked, trying her best not to embarrass herself.

"Uh… that was Kankuro's birthday." Temari said, sweat dropping. "You're a year out of date, Mother." She couldn't believe that this person was really her mother. _You don't even know our respectable ages and you can't even distinguish which of us has a birthday of when. Oh mother, you are so hopeless._

Sumire gave a nervous laugh, "I knew that." She continued to laugh nervously, trying to dismiss the subject.

"Why to him—of all people?" Sakura yelled, her anger still not subsiding. This made Sumire forget her foolish mistake and get back to the general topic at hand. "Oh, are you asking why to Uchiha Sasuke and not to Uchiha Itachi?"

Sakura opened her mouth to protest, but Sumire waved her hand on Sakura's face, silencing her. "For one, Sasuke is much fitting for your age—"

"—and two, I'm already married." Itachi added offhandedly, thus cutting Sumire off.

Everyone in the room eyed him wide-eyed astonishment and confusion. Heck, even his family stared at him, utterly shocked.

"I… Itachi-kun… what are you saying?" Mikoto asked her son, stammering along her sentence. She still couldn't believe what her son was saying. She never knew about this…marriage.

"Married? Since when? Shouldn't you have consulted your parents first before making such rational actions?" Fugaku said solemnly. "How reckless of you!" He reprimanded.

Itachi, however, remained as calm as before. It didn't look like he was even affected by his parents rambling or reprimands. He has no shame.

Still trying to recover from the shocking news, Sumire asked, "Itachi-kun, who exactly is this person you were married to that you didn't even tell your parents?" She too, couldn't believe this kind of news coming out of him, and telling them on a day like this!

"I'm married… to myself." Itachi concluded, making everyone's shocked faces drop. Wow, he really does have a dry sense of humor. Or maybe… he doesn't have any sense of humor at all—just a _very_ twisted mind.

Mikoto faked a cough, earning everyone's partial attention. Most of them were still contemplating about Uchiha Itachi's shocking announcement. "How about we leave the new couple alone for a bit?" Mikoto suggested.

After hearing her suggestion, everyone left the room one by one. Even Itachi complied, stood up from his seat and left the room after Mikoto. The only one that was left now was Sakura's older brother, Gaara.

"Gaara-niichan, don't leave me." Sakura whined in desperation.

Gaara merely shrugged, "I'm not the one engaged, so I can't stay, sorry."

Sakura gaped as her brother left without another word. How cold! He left her just like that. Doesn't he care about her?

She was snapped out of her reverie when she heard someone plop on the couch. When she turned around, she saw Uchiha Sasuke sitting down on the couch, sighing.

She decided to deal with this matter once and for all. She didn't want to be engaged with a person like him. She had to admit that she did have a teeny little crush on him when she first met him, but that soon faded when she realized that he was just a senseless jerk.

She walked towards the Uchiha sitting on the couch, his arms leaning on the head of the couch. _Even at this time, he still tries to act cool._ Sakura thought, frowning at Sasuke's direction.

Even when she was right in front of him, Sasuke still kept his head down and his eyes closed. It seemed like he was thinking of something.

"Hey, hey you!"

"I don't suppose you want me to call you big mouth, now do you? I have a name, use it." Sasuke said coolly.

A growl escaped Sakura's lips. How dare he give her this attitude—in her own house no less! "Don't you even care that your parents are deciding who you're marrying? Because I definitely—don't want to marry you. Not in this lifetime." Sakura protested.

Sasuke opened his eyes and gazed at Sakura, keeping his cool façade. "Feeling's mutual. I certainly don't want to be married with a geek. Besides, I've never seen you before. Why would I want to get married with someone I've never even met before?"

The nerve of this guy! How utterly blind he was! How dare he! Was he really that blind? She was sitting right in front of him for 5 months now, and he didn't even realize or at least recognize her. Jerk!

"I won't break the engagement because you're going to do that for me." Sasuke said composedly.

"What! Look here you! I will definitely not be the one who will break this engagement. Maybe you're ordering me to because of your huge ego, or maybe, it's against your pride to ask your parents about a serious matter such as this." Sakura stated slyly.

The smirk on her face was soon wiped off, when a sudden motion dragged her down and caused her to lean forward. Next thing she knew, she was staring face to face at Uchiha Sasuke—with her face mere inches away from his. She noticed that the cause of their awkward position was his hand gripping her collar that forced her down moments before. Now, it was Sasuke's turn to smirk.

"I guess you're not really much of a geek afterall."

This caused Sakura to smirk, "Took you long enough to figure it out."

Sasuke continued to smirk. He wasn't offended at all. In fact, he was becoming more amused with this girl. "Fine then, I'll make you a bet. Whoever gives in and decides to break this engagement loses—and it certainly won't be me."

Sakura pried his hands off her collar, and straightened herself when she stood up. She brought her hand on her waist and snorted, "How can your bet work if you can't even find me at school?"

Sasuke cocked an eyebrow at her direction. "You're in my school?"

Sakura wasn't surprised at his question. Not at all. She knew he would say that. "You really are blind." She sighed in disbelief. "Maybe, you're not that smart after all." She gave him a cocky smirk before she turned around, and walked away. It was useless lingering here with a guy like him. All they'd do is argue and argue.

She stopped when she was at the door. She turned around to face him and gave him a confident smile. "You've given me your part of the bet, now it's my turn. I bet you wouldn't even find me at school within a day—until I literally tell you who I am."

Sasuke smirked back, accepting her bet. "Don't be too confident because I assure you that I'll find you before school ends… tomorrow."

Sakura merely returned a smirk back towards his direction and muttered before she excited the room, "Really now? Being cocky doesn't help if you don't even know the right place to look. I know very well that looking for a single person is close to impossible in campus that's almost as big as five football fields."

Not only was it close to impossible and time consuming as well.

The only thing that she could expect in this situation was to see Uchiha Sasuke struggle in trying to find her when she was much closer to him that he would assume.

Sasuke eyed the door where she exited from minutes after she left. He was sure that he'll win that bet—definitely.

He'll definitely win—no matter what.

_**TBC**_

**

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A/N:** Yay! Done! Fun, fun! I'm having fun with this fic! SQUEE! I hope you guys enjoyed reading this chapter as much as I liked writing it.

Here's a sneak peak of the next chapter.

**Chapter 3—First Bet**

She was facing him when he tilted his head to stare at her, making Sakura flinch at her very spot. He was looking at her intently and it was making her nervous. _Does he know that it's me? His eyes are so blank; I can't tell what he's thinking. Has he found me out? If that's the case then I should have gotten Temari-neechan's advice and given up._ Sakura gulped when Sasuke's cold piercing onyx orbs continued to gaze at her as intently as before.

She inwardly shook her head. _No, no, I'm definitely not giving up. I won't give up—not until he says the words, 'I know it's you.' But still, it's already hard… with him looking at me like that._ Sakura tried to keep herself as calm and collected as possible… that was… until Sasuke's mouth opened to speak.

_This is it—goodbye victory!_ Sakura whined in her thoughts.

**

* * *

Updated:**March 23, 2006

**

* * *

EDIT:**Changed and revised some of the dialogues to put the characters in character. I also fixed most of the errors and improved some of the descriptions.


	3. First Bet

**Engagement On Hold**

**Summary:** (AU) Uchiha Sasuke is Konoha High's reigning prince. Haruno Sakura is…? Who is she again? What happens when the guy everybody knows finds himself engaged to the girl nobody knows?

**Genre: **Romance/Humor/Drama

**Pairings:** Sasuke/Sakura, Naruto/Hinata (for now)

**Author: **pei-chan

**Beta-reader: **Ruru Kitsuneko

**Disclaimer:** Wouldn't it be nice if Sasuke and Sakura were really engaged in the Naruto series? Then again, that would only occur in our dreams… ne?

* * *

**Chapter 3—First Bet**

She stared at the mirror seeing the same person she saw everyday; a girl with her hair tied into two separate buns and huge moon shaped spectacles completely obscuring her innocent eyes, wearing the same expensive lavender suit she had for a uniform (a long-sleeved white blouse in winter and a short-sleeved one in summer, with an indigo tie, a chic lavender blazer with the school insignia embroidered on the left breast pocket and a matching pleated lavender skirt, black stockings—not tights, and not pantyhose—and ankle-high black leather boots). She giggled silently, excited about the upcoming day. Today was the day to prove how utterly blind Uchiha Sasuke was!

"Sakura-chan," her mother, Sumire, peeked from her bedroom door. "Ohohoho, what's this?" Sumire brought her hand to her lips, chuckling. "Was your first moment alone with your fiancée**romantic**?"

"Believe me mother, it was far from romantic." Sakura sighed. Leave it to her mother to make farfetched assumptions.

"Ohohoho, ah, I can see the two of you now—kissing at a cliff with the sunset falling down on you." Sumire chuckled, ignoring everything Sakura said.

_Leave it to Mother to make such a cliché scenario,_ Sakura thought. _I'd rather fall off the cliff, really, and I _**hate**_ sunsets: they're so _**red**!

"Make sure to say 'hi' to your fiancée for me." Sumire giggled, which greatly irritated Sakura.

Sakura sighed, "Yes, Mother, I'll do just that." _Yeah, if he even manages to notice me at all._ A smirk played on her lips—a cocky smirk perhaps, _I'm definitely winning this bet._

With her thoughts set, Sakura left the mansion, saying goodbye to her mother beforehand. Sumire suggested for her to take the limousine, stating that it would be a more extravagant entrance. Sakura managed to convince her mother just in time so that she wouldn't be late for school.

_Great! Now mother's thinking that she needs to sweep my old life clean to start anew. I definitely don't need help on how to handle my personal life, thanks._

* * *

It was the same as yesterday and days before. Everyone thought she was a geek, which was why the rich kids avoided her as much as possible. Well, like what she heard those rich kids say, 'Geeks are very contagious! If you try to associate with them you'll get this foreign virus and from then on, you'll be this bookworm. Definitely need to stay away from "them"! You'll lose your coolness, and Sasuke-kun and Itachi-kun will definitely not talk to you anymore. You'll lose your chance of ever getting them—ever.'

Well, this perky overreacting bitch named Watanabe Ami said that. She was practically obsessed—no scratch that, delusional that the Uchiha brothers were interested in her in any way. She always thinks she's so cool and beautiful and perfect—just like the Uchiha brothers. She always thought that the three of them were perfect for each other—that Sasuke and Itachi were practically in love with her! Please! She definitely needed to look in a mirror first before she starts saying such things! Enough about her—she would never become a good seatmate in class anyway. It was a good thing that she wasn't in her class at all. How did Sakura even know her? Simple. Watanabe Ami is considered popular in Konoha High. Very popular.

Sakura snapped out of her reverie when she saw a familiar face in the school grounds. "Temari-neechan!"

The golden blonde whirled around at the source of the voice and waved. "Eh, Sakura!"

Sakura replied by running towards her older sister. "Why do I always have to see you first every time I go to school?"

Temari gazed at her impassively. "That's because you're too slow when it comes to preparing every morning for school. It's not my fault you always meet me first early in the morning.

"Oh, and I heard you giggling this morning. What's this? Did you have a great romantic moment with your fiancée yesterday? Do pray tell—whatever happened between you two yesterday?" Temari grinned changing the subject.

Sakura looked at her sister blankly—too shocked to plaster any other expression on her face. "I assure you… it was far from romantic—believe me." She definitely needed to get out of this conversation, so she decided to leave her sister behind to sort out her thoughts.

Temari gave a wry look towards her younger sister before frowning. She didn't have her bag because she always came early to school, giving her more time to roam around to get familiar about the school more. "Really? Are you hiding something from me, Sakura?"

Sakura drew out a deep sigh and stopped to look at her sister. "You want to know what we did yesterday, Temari-neechan? We made a bet." Sakura stated calmly.

Temari crocked an inquisitive brow, "A bet?" She forced a laugh, "So, all you did yesterday was make a bet, huh? Unbelievable!" She threw her hands in the air in disbelief.

"What were you expecting onee-chan, debris of broken couches and tables because of our intense making out session?" Sakura couldn't help but laugh at the thought of it. What? **The** Uchiha Sasuke and her making out like how they were in movies? She'd die first before that'd ever happen. "Like that'll ever happen. Here's Uchiha Sasuke, the heartthrob of the school along with his older brother, Uchiha Itachi. Here's Haruno Sakura, a girl that practically everyone thinks is a geek that only earned a scholarship so that she would be able to enroll into the expensive private school called Konoha High—even though her family actually donates 10 times the average amount that needs to be donated to actually manage to attend this expensive private school. With his big sense of ego, I'm definitely not his type, and he's definitely not my type either. Think about it Temari-neechan—we'll never work. Well, that's good news actually—we'll never work out." Sakura blurted out expressively.

Temari could only sweat drop at her little stepsister's outburst. So, they really don't like each other, huh? "If you two are so against the engagement, then why bother dragging it out, instead of just breaking it right then and there?"

Sakura altered her expression into a smirk, "I don't think that he's the type of person who would actually swallow his pride. I, for one, would definitely **not** go to mother to alter this engagement. You practically know how she is."

Temari scratched her head nervously. Yeah, she forgot that their mother was as stubborn as a rock when it came to these matters. She only thought of her own point of view and no one else's. That was how stubborn she was.

"But today's different," Sakura said calmly. "We arranged another bet yesterday."

Temari cocked her golden blonde brow once more in curiosity. "About?"

"If he can actually find me at school today before school ends," Sakura said with a cocky and confident smirk playing once again on her lips.

"You do not really seriously believe that he's practically blind that he won't realize you're sitting right in **front** of him," Temari stated carefully. Being an older sister as she is, she couldn't help but get a little worried about her little sister embarrassing herself.

Sakura snickered, "I'll be the judge of that." Ending the conversation right then and there, Sakura left her baffled sister with no other words said.

Meanwhile, Temari stood unmoving in the same spot, thinking about the bet that Uchiha Sasuke and her sister were engaged at._ Uchiha Sasuke isn't that blind. He'll realize that his fiancée is sitting right in front of him. Then again… he didn't seem to realize that yesterday. Could he _**really**_ be that blind?_

Shaking her head to dismiss the questions roaming in her thoughts, Temari sighed and walked towards the school, trying not to be late for class.

* * *

She entered her classroom as calmly as she could. She cautiously looked around the room until she spotted the raven haired Uchiha she was looking for. There he was. He was still as stoic like in any other day. Did he forget about the bet or something… or is he just buying his time? Sakura frowned at the thought. Making her way towards her seat as casually as possible, she tried to look at the Uchiha from the corner of her eye—better not to look suspicious.

She was facing him when he tilted his head to stare at her, making Sakura flinch at her very spot. He was looking at her intently and it was making her nervous. _Does he know that it's me? His eyes are so blank; I can't tell what he's thinking. Has he found me out? If that's the case then I should have gotten Temari-neechan's advice and given up._ Sakura gulped when Sasuke's cold piercing eyes continued to gaze at her as intently as before.

She inwardly shook her head. _No, no, I'm definitely not giving up. I won't give up—not until he says the words, 'I know it's you.' But still, it's already hard… with him looking at me like that._ Sakura tried to keep herself as calm and collected as possible… that was… until Sasuke's mouth opened to speak.

_This is it—goodbye victory!_ Sakura whined in her thoughts.

When Sasuke started talking, it was like time stopped. All hope was seeping out of her… that was… until she heard what Sasuke said.

"Naruto, stop hiding, you dobe. Come here, I need to talk to you." Sasuke said impassively.

Naruto whined and replied. "Wow, that's the first time the infamous Uchiha Sasuke of Konoha High has ever asked me something." Sakura could only feel Naruto's shoulder brush against her own when he walked towards his so-called best friend/rival. "So what do you want teme?"

Sakura could only blink at the way the situation went. _He didn't… notice me._ She thought disbelievingly. _He really didn't._ Inwardly cheering, Sakura went to her seat and sat down, setting her bag on her desk. While sitting, she took the time to eavesdrop into the two's conversation.

"I want you to help me… find this person." Sasuke said quietly.

"Wait? You want me—to help you." Naruto smirked, "That's a first. So, is it a guy or a girl?"

"… A girl."

"A girl, huh? Is she your girlfriend?" Naruto snickered as he nudged the shoulder of his best friend.

Sasuke scoffed sardonically, "That'll never happen. So, are you up to it or not?"

Naruto grinned, "Fine, teme."

Sasuke nodded, "I'll meet you at lunch. We'll set up the plan there."

"Now I definitely need to see who's the lucky girl." Naruto snickered.

After hearing their conversation, Sakura couldn't help but bang her head repeatedly on her desk. She couldn't believe it. She was right there in front of him—and he didn't even notice._Somehow, I'm getting rather angry that he didn't even realize that it was me. That good for nothing jerk. That's it, I'll make sure you'll definitely lose this bet—just you wait!_ He was really blind—really!

* * *

It was lunchtime and it seemed like the odds weren't against Sakura's favor because Uchiha Sasuke had not once approached her or even flicked a glance that showed that he noticed her presence. _If he was this stupid, I never would have brought up the bet in the first place._

"Sakura-chan," a small voice called hesitantly as a pale hand was placed on her shoulder.

"AHH!" Sakura jumped and flinched on the spot as she slowly turned around to see whom it was, only to find her timid best friend, Hinata Hyuuga.

"Sakura-chan, what's the matter? You seem kinda jumpy today. I also tried calling in class before but… your head was on the desk and you were… so… silent." Hinata stated softly.

"Uh… I'm fine." Sakura smiled.

Hinata frowned at Sakura suspiciously. She opened her mouth to reply; however, she was cut off when someone grabbed her shoulders abruptly, making her jump.

"Hinata-chan!"

"EEK!" Hinata jumped as she turned around to see a grinning blonde that she had long admired.

"Na… Naruto… kun…" Hinata stammered, still adjusting her beating heart. He really did know how to surprise people.

Naruto chuckled as he nervously brought his hand to his head, ruffling his short, blonde spikes. "Are… you uh—you know… free today—I mean now." Naruto stammered.

"Eh—eh?" Hinata flushed a deep color of crimson. What was he asking of her? Did he just ask her on a date?

_Oh sure! Pretend I'm not here! Sakura wasn't here, okay!_ Sakura thought offhandedly. _Wait. What am I saying? You are definitely not asking my best friend on a date while I'm standing right here, Uzumaki Naruto!_

Naruto continued to ruffle his hair, but his cerulean orbs were now gazing on the ground. "Cause… you know—"

"What exactly are you asking her, Uzumaki?" A stern voice abruptly cut Naruto's words short as someone stepped up before the timid Hyuuga.

Naruto looked up to get a good look at the stranger who interrupted his precious moment with Hinata. He grinned as he realized who it was. "Ah, the new girl."

"Sakura-chan," Hinata blinked in confusion at her pink haired best friend who was in front of her.

_The new girl? The nerve of this guy. How many times does this guy have to forget that I have been in his class since the beginning of high school last year? Ugh—idiot!_ Sakura balled her hands into fists, but restrained herself from punching Naruto right then and there. After all, it would be against her timid best friend's wishes to see her crush getting beaten up.

"What exactly are you asking of her, Uzumaki?" Sakura repeated more firmly as she gazed at him solemnly.

"So, you wanted to come, eh? Why didn't you say so? The more the merrier." Naruto blurted out, not answering Sakura's question.

Sakura frowned, "That wasn't what I asked of you, Uzu—"

"Just Naruto. We're all the same age, aren't we now?" Naruto grinned.

"What is this all about?" Sakura decided to ask a different question. Maybe, this time he'll give her a straight answer.

"Uh… it's about this search mission that teme—I mean, Uchiha Sasuke assigned me with." Naruto said quickly.

Sakura's frown deepened. Now, he said it all. "No thanks—come on Hinata." Sakura said as she dragged Hinata by grabbing her wrist.

Both of them could hear Naruto asking for them to wait, but Sakura kept ignoring it until they thankfully lost him. She loosened her grip on Hinata's wrist and murmured an apology.

Hinata nodded in understanding. "Why did you just—?"

"I knew what he was up to. Do you trust me Hinata?" When Sakura saw her nod, she continued. "Even though you think I'm acting pretty strange lately?"

Hinata was very confused now. "So… sort of," she replied reluctantly. She didn't know what to say. She couldn't help but trust Sakura—even though she was acting pretty strange—like she said.

Sakura gave her a sincere smile, "Then just trust me. You have nothing to worry about."

"Uh… something's wrong, isn't there?" Hinata asked out of curiosity.

"Nothing's wrong," Sakura said, smiling at her best friend.

Hinata could only frown as a reply. Her smile was suspicious. She was definitely hiding something. _Sakura-chan, you're a bad liar you know._

* * *

"Eh, I can't believe that it takes this long just to find one girl. Why don't you just tell me what she looks like?" Naruto asked enthusiastically.

Sasuke glared at the blonde beside him and growled in annoyance. "No."

"Why?" Naruto asked irritating the Uchiha even more.

"Because I said so—now shut up!" Sasuke retorted. "Remember what you're going to do 30 minutes before school ends."

Naruto nodded blinking in confusion. He still didn't understand why his best friend would go through all this just to find **one** girl.

"Good," Sasuke concluded as he was occupied by his thoughts. He was not going to lose. There was no way. As an Uchiha, he wouldn't let a girl—no less a geek—to get the better of him. Sasuke smirked, confident that his plan on finding his fiancée, Haruno Sakura would work… quite nicely.

* * *

"Achoo!" Sakura brought her hand to the tip of her nose, rubbing it while sniffling. Looks like someone was just thinking about her.

"Are you alright, Sakura-chan," Hyuuga Hinata asked worriedly, approaching the pink haired girl's desk.

Sakura covered it up with a laugh, "It was just a sneeze, Hinata. It's nothing."

Suddenly, the heartthrob Uchiha Sasuke passed by them with a smirk evident on his lips, making them forget about the topic at hand as both girls watched him carefully from the corner of their eyes. They heard the sound of a moving chair before they heard him sit on his seat just behind Sakura.

Meanwhile, Sakura couldn't help but frown from suspicion at the smirk that was plastered on his face earlier as he walked by. _He's planning something… I know it._

* * *

The sound of the bell rung throughout Konoha High caused a mass exodus as one-by-one the students left their respective classes. She stood up and sighed. Wow, she couldn't believe it. She won the bet without even breaking a sweat. Students kept on pilling out of the room until Sakura heard someone call her.

"Sakura-chan, I'll meet you at the dojo, okay?" Hinata smiled, as she saw the said girl nod in understanding. Afraid of being late, she gathered all her things and ran out of the door, waving goodbye to her best friend while doing so.

Sakura glanced at the wall clock at the center of the front wall of the room and saw that it was 3:30 P.M. School ends exactly at 4 P.M. That was odd. The teachers didn't say something about the students getting dismissed early today. Sakura stood up, gazing at the door separating the classroom from the corridor outside. Something was not right.

Suddenly, someone placed a hand on her shoulder, making her shiver involuntarily. She gulped as she felt a breath on her ear. "Found you," a familiar voice cooed.

Sakura jumped out of the person's grasp and screamed. She hyperventilated when she turned around and came face to face with a smirking Uchiha. She didn't realize that he was still here. How did he…? No… way.

"What are you talking about?" Sakura asked innocently, still hyperventilating from the incident before. She tried to cover the nervousness that she felt with a conspiciously fake laugh. She wouldn't give up just like that and admit defeat. No way!

"You can stop playing coy with me. I know that it's you, Haruno Sakura," Sasuke stated coolly while he gave her a cocky smirk.

Realizing that she wasn't going to talk her way out of this, Sakura frowned, "So… you knew. Since when?"

"Yeah, so you were thinking that I was stupid and blind, huh? When did I know… since the beginning of class. It was your own fault anyway for mumbling during class about our bet."

"So why didn't you recognize me when we met at my estate yesterday if you weren't so blind—after all?" Sakura's frown deepened in suspicion.

Sasuke scoffed. "Maybe… because, you were too unnoticeable—that's all," Sasuke said offhandedly.

This earned him a growl of annoyance from his fiancée. "Why you…" Sakura formed her hands into tight fists and delivered a punch straight at the Uchiha's face, which his hand caught easily.

He smirked at her. From the corner of his eyes, he saw her foot making it's way towards the side of his face, but he easily caught her leg with his other hand. "Are you that much of a sore loser?"

Sakura growled with escalating anger, but he released his hold on her fist and leg so abruptly that she couldn't stop her leg from falling painfully to the ground where it belonged, and her fist dropping down back to her side. He gave her one final smirk before he approached her. She remained still as she saw him bend down towards her ear. She felt his breath on her neck before she heard, "I win this round." With that said, he left her stupefied form alone in the classroom as he walked out of the room, sliding the door closed behind him.

_It was good that Naruto was a troublemaker. I never realized that it would come in handy._ Sasuke thought as he left the room.

Unknown to both of them, a pair of chocolate colored orbs had seen everything. The chocolate orbs were burning with jealousy as it watched Haruno Sakura leaving the classroom, fuming in anger.

**_TBC_**

* * *

**A/N:** I know that practically everyone hates my guts right now. Many of you guys thought that Sasuke was going to lose. Well, I planned that in the beginning, but hey, what's the fun with that. Besides, the plot for Sakura winning the bet is so predictable as evidenced par your reviews and all I can say is this: All your reactions have made me convinced that I've made the right decision. Thanks y'all!**

* * *

**

**Chapter 4—Punishment and New Enemies**

Ami gave her one final growl of anger before she gave Sakura a vicious slap across the face. This forced the pink haired girl to tilt her face from the strong impact of the slap. Her cheek pained and reddened as she brought her hand up to her cheek, rubbing it and groaning in pain.

"You bitch," Ami spat out.

Sakura turned her head back to its normal place and gazed at Ami with the same blank expression. Not bothering to fight back, she brushed past Ami forcefully and went out of the door. She was stopped, however, by Ami's mocking voice.

"What's this? Are you too chicken to fight back, or maybe your fear is as wide as that forehead of yours?" Ami's chocolate orbs gleamed with mockery.

With Sakura's back turned from everyone in the room, (everyone's attention was focused on them with all the ruckus that they made) nobody noticed the sly smirk that played on Sakura's lips at that moment.

**

* * *

**

**Beta Reader's (Ruru Kitsuneko's) Notes: **If it's any consolation, even I thought Sakura was gonna win, but I must say… This is so much better!

**

* * *

Updated: **March 30, 2006**

* * *

EDIT: **A little editing here and there. Added some stuff that needed to be added to make the story flow even more. Nothing big.


	4. Punishment and New Enemies

**Engagement On Hold**

**Summary:** (AU) Uchiha Sasuke is Konoha High's reigning prince. Haruno Sakura is…? Who is she again? What happens when the guy everybody knows finds himself engaged to the girl nobody knows?

**Genre: **Romance/Humor/Drama

**Pairings:** Sasuke/Sakura, Naruto/Hinata (for now)

**Author: **pei-chan

**Beta-reader: **Ruru Kitsuneko

**Disclaimer:** Wouldn't it be nice if Sasuke and Sakura were really engaged in the Naruto series? Then again, that would only occur in our dreams… ne?

**A/N: **To **x.emri.x**, I'll think about that bet that you wanted me to put. The glasses are one of the signs that she is invisible from other people's vision, which is fun actually. A lot of us are practically invisible to many people, thus we can relate to it. Not to worry, there will be at least… I think, two more bets that would come up later. Hehe, the first one is going to be made by… nah! I won't tell you. Just keep reading. Thanks for the long review! It was very nice to read.

To **Ori**, um, does it really? Well, I read a lot of fanfics that had many random Japanese words. I don't know. Someone said to me that I should put more Japanese words to my fics 'cause Naruto is made from Japan after all. Well, thank you for the review anyway.

To sakurauchiha12, you'll see how Ami is here. I hate her too—with a bloody passion.

To **puRpLebLuSh017**, hm, about Sasuke protecting Sakura from Ami's wrath? Well… no one knows about their engagement anyway. The people who know about it are the Uchiha and the Haruno family. They don't blabber it around like its some kind of joke. For one, it isn't anyone's business—it's the Uchiha and the Haruno's business—only! Two, it would be a trouble for them if everyone knew about it. It was just what Sakura said, a geek and a popular guy—don't mix! So, they tend to try and avoid each other as much as possible. They don't want anybody to get any thoughts of them being together. For me, this idea is more fun to do. There would be more surprises this way.

I give my thanks to: **metrogurl803**, **Mistress DragonFlame**, **darklight 989**, **Kurenai Chinoumi**, **puRpLebLuSh017**, **2supersmart**, **'uniquegirl'**, iLu, **.StArRy.GoOdNeSs.**, **x.emri.x**, **Aznkizz**,** saki-kun**, **Sw1tTdR1ns**, **Sexy.Black.Neko**, **wolfs**, liddoloner, **4ever2belove**, **Ino-Kisama**, NameNotNeeded, **Ori**, **sakuraninja**, **daydreamer53221**, krista, kili, sakurauchiha12, **BaBy-U-AmaZe-Me**, and ichikoo for reviewing Chapter 3. Hehe, thank you so much for taking the time to review! It means so much to me.

* * *

**Chapter 4—Punishment and New Enemies**

"No way! There is no way you're putting me in detention baa-chan—not unless you put Sasuke in detention as well!" Naruto yelled, pointing an accusing finger at the calm collected Uchiha beside him.

Sasuke merely glanced at him from the corner of his indifferent eyes, watching him make hysterics around the Principal's office. _What a loser._

"Shut up, who was the one who pulled the school bell, making the students leave school early when they weren't supposed to. You almost got me fired, Uzumaki, so I suggest you shut up before I lose my patience and expel you!" Tsunade threatened, glaring at the said boy with intensity.

"No—I refuse to accept your punishment without including him with me." Naruto argued, glaring at Sasuke along the way. _You got me into this mess—now I'm taking you down with me. Take that Teme!!_

"Okay, that's it—I don't care anymore. You're both punished." Tsunade slammed her hand on her desk, finally losing her patience. Naruto couldn't help but grin smugly at the thought that Sasuke was also punished.

Sasuke snorted, _I don't care._

"You'll both be garbage collectors in the upcoming festival next week. No arguments—you'll do what you're told, got it?" Tsunade said snarling and gnashing her teeth.

"Garbage collector?" Sasuke said with a cocked eyebrow, giving his indifference a slight change.

"There's no way in hell I would pick up the garbage of other people. You'll—" Naruto protested, but was cut short by Tsunade's piercing glare.

"At least Sasuke isn't complaining. I'm impressed Sasuke, that's—"

"No way. I'm not doing it." Sasuke stated flatly. "Picking up garbage is the dobe's job. You won't make me do it." He said stubbornly.

Tsunade's eye twitched. Could they become any more stubborn? "Really? I suggest you do what I say Uchiha Sasuke… that is… if you don't want to get expelled."

Sasuke raised an eyebrow at her direction in amusement. "Really?" He didn't think that she would even go to that subject. _Like she could do something like that,_ he thought arrogantly.

"Are you testing my patience, Uchiha?" Tsunade glared and growled at him and cracked her knuckles. "I assure you that if you keep this up, being expelled will be the least of your problems."

Sasuke groaned and turned away from the Principal. Damn, a garbage collector? He has to be a garbage collector? What kind of school was this? There was no way in hell that he would risk his reputation by being seen as a garbage collector while the rest of the school was having fun. No way!

* * *

"Sasuke-kun was called to Tsunade-sama's office. I wonder why?" A girl nearby said worriedly. 

"Yeah, and he's with that guy Uzumaki."

"They better not do anything to him!" A random girl said with a clenched fist.

Sakura could only scoff from her seat as she heard more gossips about the infamous Uchiha Sasuke. Getting rather annoyed by hearing practically everyone talking about the Uchiha, Sakura stood up and walked towards the door connecting her classroom to the hall. It was break right now, so she could go wherever she wanted—and she wanted to get out of this hellhole. _I wonder where Hinata is._

She opened the sliding door, revealing a familiar yet new face. The person was eyeing her with a cocky smirk on her face.

"Ah, Sakura-san I believe?" A girl on the other side of the door asked.

Sakura looked warily at the girl who was talking to her behind the glasses obscuring her emerald orbs before she reluctantly nodded her head. "Uh… yeah." She said hesitantly. Why was she talking to her? She was supposed to be ignored, without anyone noticing her presence. She hated that smirk that she was giving her. "Watanabe Ami-san."

Ami blinked and glanced mockingly at the pink haired girl before her. "Oh, so you know me, eh? You aren't dumb after all."

"Excuse me?" Sakura frowned.

"Do you think I'll let you flirt like that with Sasuke-kun?" Ami sighed dreamily when she said the Uchiha's name.

"What are you talking about?" Sakura asked now shaking her head in confusion.

"You have no right to go near Sasuke. He's **way** out of your league." Ami demanded.

Sakura merely gaped at her demand in disbelief. Did she just order her around… and about her personal life no less? The nerve!

"Well," Ami said with a crocked eyebrow, tapping her foot and waiting for Sakura to reply… or maybe defend herself.

Sakura stared at her blankly and replied. "Will you please move out of the way, Ami-san? I want to get out of this room." Sakura stated calmly, ignoring every threat that Ami sent her way.

"Oh no you don't. I'm not done with you. You're not going anywhere." Ami glared at Sakura, blocking her path, preventing her from passing through.

Sakura sighed, getting annoyed. "You want me to say something. Well, then let me tell you this. If you're so jealous of me, then why don't you go ahead and have a flirting contest with Sasuke. Maybe… you're jealous because you realized that he'll never be like that to you—whatever it was that you've seen that you suddenly come to me to threaten me." Sakura said frigidly, eyeing Ami with a cocky smirk.

Ami gave her one final growl of anger before she gave Sakura a vicious slap across the face. This forced the pink haired girl to tilt her face from the strong impact of the slap. Her cheek pained and reddened as she brought her hand up to her cheek, rubbing it and groaning in pain.

"You bitch," Ami spat out.

Sakura turned her head back to its normal place and gazed at Ami with the same cool and calm expression. Not bothering to fight back, she brushed past Ami forcefully and went out of the door. She was stopped, however, by Ami's mocking voice.

"What's this? Are you too chicken to fight back, or maybe your fear is as wide as that forehead of yours?" Ami's chocolate orbs gleamed with mockery.

With Sakura's back turned from everyone in the room, (everyone's attention was focused on them with all the ruckus that they made) nobody noticed the sly smirk that played on Sakura's lips at that moment.

Before Ami even knew what was going on, the mocking smirk was wiped off her face when she saw a foot launching towards her beautiful face. She gasped as the foot stopped in mid-air inches from her face, close to causing it severe damage. She gaped in shock as fear rushed to her full throttle, as if she just felt that Sakura's foot had actually made contact right on her face. There was no sound that came out of her parted lips; her mouth was just hanging wide open.

Glancing at her and delivering her a sly smirk, Sakura brought her foot down slowly to the ground and turned around and walked away out of sight, satisfied with what she did.

When Sakura left and was completely out of sight, Ami's cool façade shattered like a piece of glass. Her knees wiggled and gave out as she collapsed on the ground from the sudden rush of shock that she felt.

The remaining people who stayed in class for the break at that time remained silent, still trying to register what ever happened. Did the infamous gal Watanabe Ami just get her ass kicked by a nerd?

* * *

Ami immediately bolted upright when she felt the frowning gazes that the class gave her. She dusted her uniform off and faked a laugh to cover her… embarrassing moment. "It's nothing everyone. I'm fine―really." 

She didn't bother to listen to them reply. She turned around and ran away from the door to get away from her class's mocking gazes—or so she felt. She stomped furiously at the marble floor and yelled loudly in anger.

"ARRG!! THAT BITCH IS SO DEAD! WHEN I GET MY HANDS ON HER, SHE'LL—I'M GONNA—ARRG!!" Ami yelled furiously, pacing around the corridor with balled fists.

"And who do you want to… kill this time, Ami?" An amused voice said behind the fuming girl.

Watanabe Ami whirled around only to meet a blank faced beautiful blonde. When she realized whom it was, her attitude immediately changed into a sweet and innocent little girl. All her anger suddenly disappeared into thin air. "Ino-chan, how nice to see you!" Ami said sweetly. She had always been afraid of the blonde girl—even though they hung out all the time.

Ino raised a suspicious eyebrow. "Really now? What were you saying about killing someone?"

"Nothing," Ami replied quickly. She just had to remind her about that. Now, all her anger flooded back and she walked towards a nearby locker and started beating it up constantly with her closed fist. "It's—nothing! Nothing's… wrong." She snapped. All her patience was lost and she frantically started beating the locker into smithereens, thinking that it replaced a familiar girl that humiliated her in front of her whole class. "I'm gonna—GRAAA!!"

As she watched her violet haired… friend beat the locker constantly, she realized to whom the locker belonged. "Uh… you do know that that's my locker you're beating up, eh?"

Ami whirled to face her with a fake sweet smile on her face. "Of course. Your locker really needed a new renovation—and I'm gladly doing that for you!" After completing her sentence, Ami immediately went back to beating the said locker, creating dents on the poor metal here and there.

Ino's face cringed at the sight of her locker being destroyed before her eyes. _There goes my allowance for this month. There goes another locker that's going to need to be repaired._ Ino thought wryly.

"Can't you renovate your own locker?" Ino asked offhandedly.

Ami scoffed, stopping from the treatment that she was giving Ino's locker for a second. "Of course not! My locker is perfectly fine the way it is. I'm being a selfless friend here and doing you a huge favor."

_Yeah, by breaking my locker. _"So, what you're saying is that all you care about is you?" Ino asked dryly.

Ami stopped and thought for a while. "Yup." She replied selfishly and went back to pounding Ino's locker, but her hand suddenly halted in midair as she gasped, realizing something. "Oh no! My face!" Her hands frantically caressed every curve of her face, like she just had the worst plastic surgery. She gave Ino with a terrified wail. "My face looks alright, doesn't it, Ino?"

"Uh… it's the same as always." Ino sweatdropped. She didn't know what Ami wanted her to say.

Ami gave a sigh of relief, "Thank goodness. Here I thought that pauper damaged my beautiful face. If she did, I swear I will make the rest of a life a living nightmare." Ami said arrogantly. She was so full of herself.

"Sure, sure," Ino shrugged offhandedly. She was getting tired of this. "You were always all talk and no bite anyway."

Ami laughed, feeling a bit insulted, "You might say that Ino-chan, but have you seen me in action?" Ami giggled triumphantly at Ino's silence. "I suggest you watch what you say, when you have no idea what you're talking about."

Now, it was Ino's turn to smile at Ami for being gullible. "Funny, I could've sworn that from what I heard back there, a nerd just kicked your ass big time. Maybe, that's why you're in such a fowl mood." Ino decided to leave; satisfied that she left Ami gaping like a fish, with nothing big cold air coming out of her mouth.

It was only when Ino was no longer in sight that Ami was only able to say the only come back that she wanted to say, but restrained herself until this very moment because it would be improper of her to tell her 'friend' this. "Pathetic little wench!" Ami spat out. Man, what a backstabber.

* * *

Now that there were only 5 minutes left in break, everyone made their way to their classes, and Haruno Sakura was no exception. She strolled back to class groaning along the way. She didn't really feel like going to class where a fuming Watanabe Ami would be there… to get revenge on her she might add. She would definitely stay there and not go to her class until she got revenge. She couldn't believe that they had actually been friends in the past. 

Her day just became even "better" when she came face to face with her handsome fiancée in the halls. _Oh great, he's just here to make my day even better!_ Sakura thought with wry sarcasm.

Sasuke seemed to have also noticed her presence and raised an amused eyebrow in her direction. "Well, well, who do we have here?"

_For the first time, he actually talked to me—in public!_ Sakura thought in disbelief. "Can't you bother someone else, why don't you?"

Sasuke's eye twitched at her question… well, it was more like a statement. Maybe his plan might take quite a while to work. Oh well, he might as well try anyway… and hope that she'll take the bait.

"And give me a reason why I can't talk to you?" Sasuke asked, regaining his cool composure.

"Because—right now, everyone's looking at us. They seem to be confused why you're talking to… me. For all we know—your reputation is sinking down the drain as we speak." Sakura stated calmly while smiling at him smugly.

"I don't care," came Sasuke's immediate reply.

Sakura was taken aback. This guy was no fun! What could she do to convince him to talk in a place where no one would overhear? He might not care about people watching them together, but she did! Talking to him would diminish her status as the invisible and ignored girl once and for all.

He looked from the corner of his onyx orbs and saw that random people in the hall were looking at them with perplexed expressions on their faces. In some ways, she seemed to be right. Damn! He couldn't ask about that here―when everyone could practically see and hear what he had to say. He could've sworn some of the students that passed by were looking at the two of them intently. Realizing his situation, Sasuke grabbed his fiancée's arm tightly and swiftly shoved her in a nearby room, not caring what room it was.

It wasn't because that he was scared on what might happen to his reputation within the school, but he didn't want his brother to find another thing to tease him about, which he had to put up with every single day. He didn't want Itachi to know, or to hear any rumors about his… punishment. That was something Itachi **definitely** didn't **need **to know.

Sakura stumbled when her fiancée practically threw her in the room; however, she was able to regain her balance at the right time and not fall face first to the ground. When she was able to stand up straight, she whirled around and glared at the man at fault. "What was that!"

"You were asking for it." Sasuke said shrugging offhandedly. His eyes trailed around the room and inwardly sighed in relief as he realized that the room was empty.

"What is this about?" Sakura asked with an annoyed look on her face. Her point of view was still the same. He was still the same jerk that her mother insanely decided to be her fiancée.

"Are you or aren't you a fiancée of mine?" Sasuke asked with a conspicuous smirk on his face.

"Can I say 'no'?" Sakura replied dryly with her own question. "Since when did you actually like calling me your fiancée?"

"As fiancées, it's our duty to help each other at times of need. You know—be there for each other." She took note of the scoff that she heard from him.

_I do not like where this is going._ Sakura thought suspiciously.

"That's why I want you to be at the school festival to be a garbage collector." Sasuke stated coolly making his fiancée shake her head in shock.

"A what?" Sakura looked at him oddly.

"Don't make me repeat it." Sasuke growled in irritation.

"Sorry," she apologized without thinking. "So—that's your punishment. A garbage collector?" Sakura snorted, trying to hold her laugh in. She couldn't hold herself any longer and laughed out loud, irritating her fiancée even more.

"Really now… a garbage collector." She giggled. "You want me to take your punishment for you by being a garbage collector in our school festival…" she continued to laugh, "… no." She suddenly replied calmly, all the humor at the sudden news all gone.

"What do you mean, 'no'?" Sasuke asked with an arched eyebrow.

"Just because you're my fiancée doesn't mean that you can treat me like a slave. I'm not your servant, Uchiha, and I don't plan to be," Sakura gave a bitter laugh.

She gave a thought of the situation, and tried to find use of it, and that was when she had the idea.

"Over our broken engagement—maybe." Sakura said coolly with a sneaky smile. "It's very simple. You break our engagement, and I'll take your place in the school festival as the garbage collector. Sounds fair?" Sakura said slowly, making sure that Sasuke heard and understood every word completely.

Sasuke gave a scoff. "No."

The smile on Sakura's face vanished. "Are you this stubborn?" Sakura asked with a quirked eyebrow. "It's very simple. It's either break the engagement or your reputation as a respected individual, not to mention—worshipped by the student body, goes down the drain."

"No way." Sasuke repeated.

Sakura gave him one final look. After realizing that he wouldn't change his mind, she turned and brushed past him and walked towards the classroom door. Well, it would be against his favor either way, so it was good enough for her. When her hand held the handle for opening the door, she smirked and said something that definitely ticked him off. "I hope you have fun… collecting your fangirls' garbage at the festival. I'll remember to bring a camera to take your picture." She giggled and left the room, leaving Sasuke to curse at no one.

"Damn her, I can't believe she got the better of me." Sasuke snarled, slightly irritated.

Suddenly, his fiancée peered at the side of the door. "Oh, remember to take a bath after the festival. You would no doubt **stink** afterwards." She gave him a cocky grin before leaving him again—for good this time.

* * *

Everything went well for the whole day afterwards. She didn't see Watanabe Ami anymore during the remainder of the day, making her relieved. She didn't want to be engaged in another conversation with her—nothing good would happen. 

Thank goodness it was dismissal time. She didn't have to deal with crazy and obsessed fangirls and she didn't have to lay her eyes on her so-called fiancée. She didn't like any of those things. Now she could breathe. She stretched her arms as if she had just woken up from a deep slumber—and it was 4 in the afternoon.

After stretching her body's muscles to their full extent, she jumped down the steps of the doorway of Konoha High and ran out of the school grounds happily. Could this day get any better? Well, maybe it did.

Suddenly she collided with a hard and muscular chest that appeared before her, but a hand grasped her wrist tightly, preventing her from stumbling backwards down on the ground. She looked up and saw a familiar face that she had seen during the announcement of her engagement. It was then that she recognized who it was.

"Itachi-san," she greeted with a warm smile.

"Well, well, if it isn't my brother's 'beloved' fiancée." Itachi drawled, letting go of Sakura's wrist.

"I'll can't deny the fiancée part, but I don't think 'beloved' is the word to use before it." Sakura stated dryly as she formed a good distance between them.

"Don't you like the fact that I'll be your brother-in-law?" Itachi asked with a slight smirk on his face.

"Uh… no… not really." Sakura said offhandedly. "I would have liked our relationship to be more of a—"

"Couple," Itachi cut off, teasing the girl before him.

"Uh… n—"

"Lovers, then, maybe." Itachi teased.

Sakura flushed crimson red in embarrassment. "Definitely 'no'!" She exclaimed. "I would have preferred our relationship to be as it was before this engagement was decided. As in, I would have preferred it if I didn't know you—scratch that—that half of my school's student body practically talks about you all the time. I can't say I didn't know you." She lowered her head and gazed at the ground in wonder. "I would have preferred that you didn't know me, while I get on with my day as a geek in school." She said shamelessly. She actually admits that she's a geek—nerd.

"What a shame." Itachi tsked. "We could have so much fun together—with Sasuke that is." He continued to tease his brother's fiancée to no end, not that Sasuke was there to hear it.

"Please, I'd rather not."

"How are things getting along with you and my brother? It seems that you two were getting along fine." He said casually.

It was then that a plan formulated in Sakura's head. "Oh, we sure are. He was so sweet. He even volunteered to take my place in the school festival as the garbage collector. He is the sweetest man alive." She faked a deep and loving sigh, which Itachi didn't notice. "He even said that I could take a picture of him while he's picking up the garbage as a souvenir." She giggled like a sweet girl.

A smirk then formed on the Uchiha's lips from the information that he learned from the girl before him. _A garbage collector during the school festival… well isn't that interesting._ He decided to play along by forming a small smile on his lips. "I know; he's a very nice and caring brother."

Sakura smiled back. _This is my revenge for your playing with me—Sasuke! For that day you humiliated me. Now, I'll humiliate you in front of the whole school—and before your older brother. Revenge is sweet!_

* * *

'Home sweet home' 

He was finally home. No fangirls, no nagging teachers, no loud and screaming Naruto and no annoying fiancée named Haruno Sakura. What a pain! She just had to ruin his day. Could this day possibly get any worse?

He stopped dead in his tracks when he found himself in a familiarly well-kept living room. No, it wasn't the living room that was the problem; it was the person **in** the living room.

_Itachi!_ Sasuke thought with pure hatred. Great! Just great! Now, his older brother is here to make his day even worse. Just the smirk playing on his older brother's face was making him uneasy. What was he thinking? Definitely: something not good. It was something that would irritate him—possibly, to no end.

"Ah, welcome home my dear little brother." Itachi welcomed with a warm smile. Something was definitely up.

"Cut the crap, Itachi!" Sasuke glared at his older brother. "And what's with the 'dear' before my name?"

The smirk on Itachi's mouth immediately disappeared, replaced with a confused look. "Whatever do you mean? I'm just so proud of you."

"Proud of what—exactly?" Sasuke frowned. What was he talking about?

"You're not even bothering to tell me, aren't you? You do know that family members—don't keep secrets." Itachi gave an annoying smirk. Well, it was annoying in Sasuke's point of view.

"I don't think it's my job to tell you everything I do." Sasuke growled with great irritation. "Come to think of it, I don't even have to tell you anything I do."

Itachi sighed. "You would honestly leave your older brother out of the details about your greatest achievement."

"What greatest achievement?"

"That **you're** going to be a garbage collector in the upcoming school festival. I never knew you had it in you." Itachi gave him a conspicuous teasing smile. "A maid and a garbage collector—such a nice couple."

Sasuke growled at Itachi and glared at him intently in response. What could he say to defend himself? Nothing. All Itachi was saying was true, and it irritated Sasuke to no end. "She told you… didn't she?" Sasuke growled with a twitching fist. That was all he could say? No, he just desperately wanted to know where his older brother got the embarrassing information at this speed. Heck, he just found out about his punishment today and it's already leaking out to the people that he preferred of them not knowing about it.

"Where I found out about your great achievement… well, I have my sources." Itachi smirked.

"It's her… isn't it?" Sasuke's onyx orbs narrowed. That was the only conclusion he could come of with, since she was the only outside person that knew about it, besides the principal and Naruto. There was a possibility that Naruto leaked that information, but that was unlikely, since he also shared the same punishment, and leaking that information would cause not only Sasuke's reputation, but also Naruto's to sink down the drain.

Itachi grimaced, "Maybe."

Silence engulfed them (to Sasuke's relief) until Itachi decided to continue his little torment toward his little brother. "I wonder… maybe your child would be such a successful individual just like the two of you when he/she grows up. Maybe the child would even become a janitor at our school." Itachi gave him a sly smirk, making his younger brother snap.

He had enough. He didn't want to hear anymore of this—insane conversation. Giving a final glare to defend himself, Sasuke walked past his brother and made his way towards his room, stomping furiously along the way. How humiliating. She sure showed him. He definitely won the first bet, but he couldn't deny the fact that she was ahead of their game. Darn! A girl was getting the better of him. How could this happen?

_I'm going to get you for this. I'm not going down that easily, Sakura._

**_TBC_** **

* * *

A/N: **Haha, Sasuke a garbage collector. Didn't see that coming, huh? Giving him a plain old detention is boring, so this idea would be nice. See, Sakura got Sasuke back. She didn't lose in the second bet—yet! So, have faith in her folks. She's not going down that easily. The next chapter is also very fun to read, well, here's a preview!**

* * *

Chapter 5—Breaking News!**

The announcements came as another sign of a new normal day for all the students of Konoha High… maybe? They were all about club meetings and staff meetings like the usual.

_Enough already! How many times do I have to hear all these boring announcements? _The P.A. system became silent, making the pink haired girl sigh in relief that the announcements were at long last—finished. However, the microphone was turned on again, irritating her yet again. _The next person who blabbers about some stupid school event will—die!!_ Sakura stifled a growl.

The person on the P.A., however, wasn't the usual geek and suck-up jerks in school. _"Good morning,"_ the voice belonged to none other than, the backstabber, Watanabi Ami. _"I would like to make wonderful and breaking news." _Her voice echoed in the P.A., making Sakura feel unusually nervous.

_What is she doing there?_ Sakura thought, shuddering as she heard Ami's voice continue.

"_I would like to announce to everyone that sophomore's Hyuuga Hinata—" _(Sakura glanced at her timid best friend, perplexed.) _"—and Haruno Sakura—" _(Sakura gaped in disbelief as she gasped slightly in hearing her name.) _"—were both seen making out with each other in the vicinities of Konoha by an anonymous student. Let us give a warm welcome to our new gay couple at Konoha High. I hope you all don't give them much of a hard time. Thank you and have a __**great**__ day!" _With that, nothing else was heard when the P.A. system was turned off with a click, indicating the end of announcements.

**

* * *

Updated: **April 8, 2006**

* * *

EDIT: **I rewrote some parts that I didn't quite like, and I just expanded some descriptions. 


	5. Breaking News!

**Engagement On Hold**

**Summary:** (AU) Uchiha Sasuke is Konoha High's reigning prince. Haruno Sakura is…? Who is she again? What happens when the guy everybody knows finds himself engaged to the girl nobody knows?

**Genre:**Romance/Humor/Drama

**Pairings:** Sasuke/Sakura, Naruto/Hinata (for now)

**Author: **pei-chan

**Beta-reader: **Ruru Kitsuneko

**Disclaimer:** Wouldn't it be nice if Sasuke and Sakura were really engaged in the Naruto series? Then again, that would only occur in our dreams… ne?

**A/N: **Wow, I can't believe everyone was so furious at Ami last chapter. Thank you for all those who reviewed last chapter.

**

* * *

Chapter 5—Breaking News!**

"Sakura-chan! Meet me at the garden, okay. I have a surprise for you."

Haruno Sakura flinched at the sweet sound of her mother's voice, calling her. Oh great! Just by the sound of her mother's voice, something was definitely up. _Oh no, what does she want now._

Sighing, Sakura went out of her room and slammed the door shut as loudly as she could, startling her older brother, Kankuro.

He stared at her with a cocked eyebrow after realizing the situation. "Something's up with mother, isn't there?"

Sakura merely groaned in response, giving her older brother the answer that he needed. She ran down the stairs and turned left towards the direction of their family garden. While her bare feet on the cool floor sent chills traveling up her spine, she stepped outside of the luxurious mansion, and strolled towards the garden where her mother would be located. After all, Sumire used to tell them that she liked spending her morning hours with nature.

She arrived at the garden with a conspicuous frown on her face. She watched as her mother had a deep conversation with two women. Strangers. "Mother, you better make this quick. I'm going to be late for school." Sakura snapped, putting a strict hand on her waist.

"Oh my, what manners this child has!" The older woman exclaimed.

"Definitely needs a make over." The younger one stated while nodding.

"I expect that you two are very professional for the job." Sumire said while smiling—warily in Sakura's opinion.

"What make over?" Sakura practically growled, praying that the odds weren't against her. Please don't mean what I think you mean!

Sumire stood up with the two women mimicking her and standing up as well. "Sakura, meet the sisters Ruru Kitsuneko and Peitsuru Kitsuneko. They will be the ones who will fix you up for the upcoming school festival." Sumire gave a sly smile.

Sakura became silent. What did she say? No… way. There was no way in hell they were going to touch her. "Over my dead body." She sneered, turning around and stomping away from the garden.

Sumire didn't seem to mind the rudeness of her daughter and shouted at her retreating back. "They'll begin the day when your festival starts. I'll make sure every guy at your school—including your handsome fiancée, Sasuke—will be into you by the end of the day."

Sakura gritted her teeth in suppressed anger. "Never going to happen."

* * *

"Damn it! Who does she think she is! I DO NOT need a makeover! I repeat—DO NOT!" Sakura exclaimed with great irritation. She balled her hands into fists and slammed her fists on the wall beside her.

Temari merely raised an amused golden blonde brow. "You do know that you're talking bad about our mother here. Besides, I got to admit that you do need a serious make over." She said offhandedly.

"I DO NOT need a makeover!" Sakura glared at her sister.

"Okay," Temari waved her hands, dismissing the subject. Her little sister had always been scary when she was mad. Heck, she can be really frightening when she was mad. No, she wasn't afraid. She just didn't like getting into trouble.

Sakura gave out a few more curses for a whole minute and gave a deep sigh. "You know, it was nice of you to walk with me to school today."

"Hey, I did promise you." Temari shrugged.

"Yeah, you promised me this since last year and you only walked with me now. Why?" Sakura frowned at the girl beside her.

Temari gave a nervous laugh that indicated that there would be no explanation. It was better left unsaid.

Sakura didn't push the issue further, knowing that Temari wouldn't explain it to her anyway. "Temari-neechan, what does Gaara-niichan do at school that he goes so early? I hardly get to see him." Sakura stated, snapping her mussing stepsister out of her trance.

"Who knows?" Temari shrugged with a blank stare. _I certainly don't._

At long last, they had finally arrived at their destination, Konoha High. All their conversations were cut off from then on. After all, Temari was a senior and Sakura was a sophomore, they had to go to different buildings. Their school was big after all.

Sakura arrived at her classroom alone. Having only one friend in your batch really had its disadvantages. Her class was boring, her classmates were irritating, and her teachers were annoying. That's what she thought. Even though, she practically aced all her subjects.

She was already irritated about her conversation with her mother earlier that morning, but seeing Watanabi Ami in her class made things even worse. She was practically flirting with every guy around the class and being nice with all the girls. _What was she doing here? Why was she here? This isn't her class. That fake smile on her face, that over layered make up on her face and that super short skirt of hers really makes me feel like she's up to something._ Sakura involuntarily shuddered at the thought.

She dismissed the subject not wanting to know about it anyway. She walked towards her seat like every morning, but this time was different. This time, her classmates didn't ignore her like she didn't exist. They gave her mere glances of disgust, loathing, annoyance, which caused them to glare, frown, sneer and snort in her direction.

In the pink haired girl's mind, she felt uneasiness, fear, and doubt. _Why the hell are they looking at me like that?_ They were supposed to ignore her—ignore her! She wasn't supposed to exist. They weren't supposed to glare at her direction every second—or minute that passed by. Damn it! Now, she knew that her suspicions were correct. Ami had definitely done something wrong.

Pretending like there was nothing wrong, Sakura walked towards her seat as calmly as she could. She sat down at her seat, still feeling uneasy with all of the attention that she was getting—and it wasn't pleasant at all. It was a good thing that her arrogant fiancée wasn't there—for the very first time. Thank goodness he wouldn't be here to taunt her.

It was a good ten minutes before Sakura saw her timid best friend arrive at their class, with the same uneasy look on her face. As soon as her timid best friend saw her in the room, she quickly made her way towards her, trying her best to ignore all the glares and disgusted looks sent her way.

"Sakura-chan, you're here." Hinata panted in exhaustion. She must have been running to get here. She looked awfully tired.

"Hinata, what's wrong?" Sakura asked worriedly. She pretended like there wasn't anything wrong with their classmates acting strangely. She didn't care about them, her best friend was more important than some low lives enjoying taunting other people because of their boredom.

"Ano," she fidgeted her fingers as her lavender orbs glanced at the people glaring at them in the room and flinched at the glares that she received. "Sakura-chan… ano ne… I have something to tell you…" Sakura's full attention was now focused on the timid Hyuuga, standing before her. Hinata was nervous—and scared; therefore, something bad was definitely going on.

"What is it?" Sakura frowned.

"It's—the whole school's talking about…" Hinata nervously stammered.

"What?" She was too engaged in their conversation that she didn't even notice a blonde spiky haired boy and a handsome raven-haired one came in the room, followed by their miraculously early sensei.

Hinata gulped, taking a deep breath, unable to say whatever she had to say. "They're saying… that—"

The bell rang cutting Hyuuga Hinata from completing her sentence. Hatake Kakashi, their usually tardy sensei said, "Everyone, go to your seats. That includes you Watanabe-san." He eyed the violet haired girl with a blank stare as she suddenly gasped, making the whole room notice her presence.

"Oh, I almost forgot. I have to make an announcement today!" She exclaimed, as she ran girlishly towards the sliding door. She opened it, but turned around and bid farewell before leaving. "Sayonara Sasuke-kun! I'll see you at lunch!" She chirped happily before running out of their class to Sakura's relief.

_Thank God, the witch has left the building!_Sakura thought.

Hinata whispered, "Gomen," before making her way towards her seat, reluctantly. Whatever it was that she had to tell Sakura just had to wait… until later.

Her emerald orbs trailed off towards her best friend as she made her way towards her seat. _Well, it might not be _**that **_serious. Maybe, she's just worried._

The announcements came as another sign of a new normal day for all the students of Konoha High… maybe? They were all about club meetings and staff meetings like the usual.

_Enough already! How many times do I have to hear all these boring announcements?_The P.A. system became silent, making the pink haired girl sigh in relief that the announcements were at long last—finished. However, the microphone was turned on again, irritating her yet again. _The next person who blabbers about some stupid school event will—die!_ Sakura stifled a growl.

The person on the P.A., however, wasn't the usual geek and suck-up jerks in school. _"Good morning,"_ the voice belonged to none other than, the backstabber, Watanabe Ami. _"I would like to make a wonderful and breaking news."_Her voice echoed in the P.A., making Sakura feel unusually nervous.

_What is she doing there?_ Sakura thought, shuddering as she heard Ami's voice continue.

"_I would like to announce to everyone that sophomore's Hyuuga Hinata—"_(Sakura glanced at her timid best friend, perplexed.) _"—and Haruno Sakura—"_(Sakura gaped in disbelief as she gasped slightly in hearing her name.) _"—were both seen making out with each other in the vicinities of Konoha by an anonymous student. Let us give a warm welcome to our new gay couple at Konoha High. I hope you all don't give them much of a hard time. Thank you and have a _**great **_day!"_With that, nothing else was heard when the P.A. system was turned off with a click, indicating the end of announcements.

There was a long eerie moment of silence. Practically everyone in the room eyed the said Hyuuga and Haruno said in the P.A. with deep frowns and disgusted looks on their faces. Being the shy girl that she was, Hyuuga Hinata slumped down further; trying desperately to avoid the unnecessary frowns and disgusted looks that the people around her gave. In her mind, she was whining, _I should have told her… now… everyone will think of us…_

Sasuke smirked at the amusing announcement that he heard. _Well, well, it looks like I don't need to pay you back for the humiliation that you put me through yesterday, seeing that Ami's already doing the work for me._

_So, that's what it is, huh, Watanabe! Pretty intense… I wonder how this resulted to you making this kind of rumor._ Sakura's brow twitched uncontrollably. She balled her hands into fists in irritation as she gritted her teeth.

"Haruno Sakura, who's that?" Kakashi asked with a heavy-eyed expression.

Everyone was silent. No one spoke or pointed out wherever she was. They only turned their gazes towards the pink haired geek.

Sakura became even more irritated than she already was when she heard her own sensei asking her name. What an idiot! This place was crawling with idiots! He had been their sensei for the past 5 months, but still, he didn't even memorize his own students' names. She growled inwardly. _It makes me want to punch him! He's not only damn late every single day, he's also stupid for a teacher!_ She fought the urge to stand up and punch the living daylights out of her teacher.

Kakashi's eye followed most of his students' gazes and fell on the annoyed and furious pink haired girl sitting at the corner in front of the infamous Uchiha. "Ah, so you must be Haruno Sakura. You seem awfully familiar. Ah well, congratulations on your… er… finding your… uh… congratulations." He stammered throughout his sentence. He didn't know what to say. Sure, he liked reading his book 'Icha Icha Paradise'. It did have some perverted stuff, but those were all about two people of the opposite sex. Knowing two people infatuated with each other with the same sex was something that he needed time to get used to.

That was it. She had snapped. She wouldn't go down without a fight. There was no way she would take that from her. She wouldn't let them talk about some damn rumor that wasn't even true.

Sasuke's blank gaze fell on the pink haired girl in front of him, amused to see her reaction. He noticed her lower her head and shake uncontrollably—from humiliation maybe. She was going to cry—no, she was crying. He just knew it. She wasn't that tough after all. Then again, what Watanabi said was quite intense. Feh, who cares!

He kept his gaze on her, slowly watching her. She was still crying, eh? Oh well, it didn't matter. It was her fault for getting mixed up with a girl like Watanabi. The next thing that his fiancée did was wipe the stoic expression on his face for even a second. He heard a stifled giggle from the girl in front of him. What was she doing? Was she just… giggling? His thoughts were confirmed when his fiancée laughed out loud and stood up, alerting the whole class, even their sensei. _What the hell?_

Sakura cackled, letting all the anger that she felt in her sound in her laughter. Her laughter echoed in the whole class, as everyone eyed her like she was crazy. She didn't care about them. All she cared about was to get back at that stupid bitch that spread that 'pathetic' rumor about her and her best friend. _Just you watch Ami-chan—just you wait. You'll see what I can do._

* * *

"Watanabe—what was that announcement about?" A furious voice hollered in the office. "You said that you had an important announcement!"

"**That** was my important announcement. Everyone should know about how the girl named Haruno Sakura is such a foul creature." Ami shrugged coldly.

"Do you know that it's against school rules to spread rumors about a student?" Tsunade's golden brow twitched. "I can get you suspended for this."

"No you won't. I'll give you ¥100, 000, 000." Ami bribed, snatching her cell phone.

Tsunade growled, "Do you think that they kept me in this job, so that you twits could bribe me with money when you get into trouble? Do you think I'm that stupid?" She gave the younger girl before her a cold glare.

"Maybe," Ami drawled.

"That's it!" Tsunade retorted, stomping her way to the violet haired girl, closing the gap between them.

"Well... then... I'll give you a deck of cards." Ami said calmly, bringing her index finger to her chin to fake an innocent look.

This made the fuming principal stop. All the anger on her face dissipated into thin air as she furrowed her brows in confusion. "What?"

Ami opened her bag and snatched a new set of cards—brand new. "I'll give you these new sets of cards." She eyed the cards in her hands slyly. "It's a nice gamble. I give you this new set of cards and I go free. After all, you do love gambling, don't you?"

"How dare you! That's it! You're suspended for a whole week." She turned around and stomped back to her desk furiously.

"What! Don't I have any rights here? No way you're suspending me for a week. I won't be able to see Sasuke-kun." Ami whined with fake tears streaming down her face. Immediately, her crying stopped and she tried bribing her furious principal, "one day".

"No."

"Two days."

"No."

"Three then."

"N—no."

"Maybe four—"

"For the last time—NO!" Tsunade exclaimed furiously.

Ami kept silent as her calm expression disappeared leaving only fear on the principal that she was facing.

"When I said that you would be suspended for a week––you're suspended for a week! Got it!"

Ami opened her mouth to protest. "But—"

"You know what—that's it!" Tsunade's eyes narrowed and gave the girl before her a cunning smirk. "I won't suspend you." She said slyly with her voice lowering down to normal.

Ami's face glinted with happiness at the principal's words.

"I'll ban you from attending the upcoming school festival." She smirked as she saw the shocked expression that the female student made before her.

"What!" Ami gasped.

"You heard me."

"But that's even worse—NO!"

Tsunade pressed the intercom near her desk and said calmly. "Anko, would you please get Watanabe-san **out** of my office." She released her hold of the intercom's button as she averted her blank gaze towards the fuming female student before her.

"NO! YOU CAN'T BAN ME FROM THE SCHOOL FESTIVAL THIS YEAR. I WON'T LET YOU!" Ami hollered as her loud voice echoed in the room.

From behind her, Mitarashi Anko, the secretary emerged from the door, walked towards the screeching girl. She gently placed her hand on Ami's shoulder and whispered, "Let's go."

"NO!" She spat on the calm secretary.

Anko merely smirked at her and gripped her school uniform, dragging her out of the principal's office aggressively totally against the young girl's will.

"THIS IS INJUSTICE! LET GO OF ME—YOU BITCH! PRETTY SURE YOU'LL SMELL MY ATTORNEY—OROCHIMARU!" Ami hollered until the door closed, freeing Tsunade from all her other threats.

She quirked a disgusted eyebrow, "I forgot that her attorney's Orochimaru. That slithering snake." She shuddered involuntarily.

* * *

Well, her plan didn't work as well as she hoped. Her own plan backfired! Now, she wouldn't be able to spend time with **her** Sasuke-kun. Blaming a certain pink haired girl for her bad omen, she would made sure that the said girl would be crying in front of the whole school during lunch at the cafeteria.

She balled her hands into fists and swore in determination… and arrogance. _I would make sure to make you cry in front of Sasuke-kun, so that he'll see what kind of a wuss you are._

Stopping in the middle of the empty corridor, Ami giggled at her devious plan. Soon her giggling escalated into a maniacal laugh. Good thing the corridor was empty because classes were going on. Right now, she definitely looked like a serial killer with sadistic urges.

From afar, that's what the school nurse named, Shizune, thought. She sweat dropped at the sight of the girl.

* * *

At long last, lunch came. Ami had this smirk on her face that needed to be desperately wiped off. She was overjoyed that the time for Haruno Sakura's demise had come. Time to put her plan into action. She giggled and smirked, making the student who passed by her shiver in fear.

They ate in the corner table at the cafeteria, with one as calm as the setting sun and the other one thinking desperately that she wasn't there. She had been trying to ignore the embarrassment that she felt from all the wary looks that she received. Things were becoming even worse when she was hearing the people around her talking about what she feared.

"Hey, look… that's the Hyuuga, right?"

"Oh my God! I can't believe that she's gay."

"Man, she was cute though. Her cuteness is just wasted on that damn Haruno."

"I can't believe she still has the guts to come to school."

"Just like what they all say, 'all the good women are either married or gay'."

"Isn't that supposed to be, 'all the good _men_ are either married or gay'?"

"Who cares! It's the same thing!"

"No it's not!"

"That Hyuuga and that Haruno are such a disgrace at Konoha High. They don't deserve to be here."

"Yeah."

"That's right."

Shaking her head, not wanting to hear anymore rumors, she turned towards the pink haired companion beside her. She examined her best friend in bewilderment as noticed the blank expression on her companion's features. How could she act so calm in a situation like this?

"Sa… sakura… chan…" she said stammering nervously. They had known each other for a year, but there was still a lot about her best friend that she needed to know.

Sakura took a bite of her hotdog before turning to gaze towards the girl who called her. "Eh?" She asked innocently. "What is it, Hinata?"

She gulped, "Why… how can you be so—"

Suddenly a hand slammed on their specific table, making her flinch at the very spot and trailing her eyes from the hand that was slammed on the table upward, gazing at the face of the owner. A small smile came to her lips as she said her name, "Ah, Ami-san."

Ami merely snickered at Sakura's innocent tone. "I merely came by to congratulate you. I never knew you had such great…" she glanced at the Hyuuga beside Sakura, "… taste… in women. What makes me wonder though, is how you were able to deceive and bribe such a fine person like Hinata-san?"

Everyone stopped their respective conversations in the cafeteria at this time. Because of how loud she articulated her voice, they were able to hear Watanabe's last comment. Heck, even Sakura's red haired half-brother was now listening to their conversation and was fighting the urge to walk up to the girl that was trying to spread such farfetched rumors about his little sister and silence the blabbermouth once and for all.

From near where the commotion was happening, Sasuke and Naruto were eyeing a certain part of the cafeteria where Sasuke's fiancée was located carefully. They were all practically waiting on how/what the pink haired girl would say.

"You're right. You know, that also makes me wonder. I don't know how I did it either. What did I do? What did I do?" She thought, tapping her chin. "You know, we had been together for over a year, but we had to break up some time last week because I saw her cheating on me with Uzumaki Naruto."

_She actually admits that she's gay. Man, she has no shame._ Sasuke thought in disgust.

A gasp filled the air. Naruto merely gave a baffled stare at everyone who was looking at him with mixed expressions. "What?"

"When Hinata and I broke up, I was then hooked up with Uchiha Sasuke—" (A shocked gasp filled the air once more.) "—then Hinata was broken hearted when she found out that her boyfriend was gay. She became depressed when she saw Uzumaki Naruto making out Sabaku Gaara."

Sakura reminded herself to apologize to her brother later if she wanted to live another day. She watched in amusement as she saw the disgusted expression on Watanabi Ami's face. "She told me that they were all over each other that she couldn't take it—"

Hinata merely gaped in shock at what her best friend was saying about her. She was too stupefied from shock. All of those things were lies, and Hinata was sure that Sakura also knew that. Hinata still couldn't help but wonder, _What is she doing?_

"Me and Hinata were about to get back together again until Sasuke was able to convince me to stay with him. He didn't just tell me these sweet and romantic lines." She sighed dreamily.

Sasuke's onyx brow twitched in irritation at the lies that she was spitting out.

She eyed Ami with a sly expression. "We made out after that—for long 3 hours. It was very nice. You know he's a great—"

"SHUT UP!" Ami hollered throughout the cafeteria, cutting Sakura off.

Sakura blinked, and tried to tell Ami about her intimate moment with Uchiha Sasuke… or so she says. "But—"

"NO! YOU'RE NOT TELLING ME YOUR DISGUSTING THEORIES. ONLY I CAN MAKE OUT WITH SASUKE-KUN—AND NO ONE ELSE!" Ami spat out angrily.

"Then… can I tell you how it was then?" Sakura asked in innocence with hidden mockery.

"NO!" Ami couldn't take it anymore. She had to get out of this place. She had to get out of here—to where she wouldn't hear Sakura telling her about or describing her how their intimate moment was like. She turned around and ran out of the cafeteria, screaming like a banshee along the way.

After Ami had left the cafeteria, Sakura couldn't help but smirk at her great work. Her eyes narrowed as her obscured emerald orbs trailed around the room and glared at the students in the cafeteria that was still giving her the same disgusted looks like before. She quirked an eyebrow and asked. "Don't tell me you guys believed that?"

Sensing her cold icy glare, everyone immediately shook their heads and muttered.

"No."

"Of course not."

"We knew all along that it was all a dumb rumor."

"We were just playing around."

"That's right!"

Sakura inwardly smirked at a job well done. She couldn't believe that Ami would take her seriously. Man, now the violet haired girl was going to have nightmares later. Oh well, it was her fault for trying to humiliate her in front of the whole school. She didn't care if she went overboard with her story. If that was all it needed to take Watanabe Ami off her back, then she'll do it.

She knew that there would be a lot of people who would want to kill her right now for all the lies that she said. Most importantly, the people that she had to mention in her farfetched story… they would definitely want to kill her, Naruto's definitely out of the picture. He's not going to understand what she said anyway… or so she hoped. Hinata was her best friend, so she could just explain everything to her. All that was left now was her half brother Gaara and her fiancée Sasuke. They would definitely want to see her dead.

Oh well, it didn't matter. All she hoped was that she would see the expression on her fiancée's face when she stated all those lies. Did he have the same blank expression on his face? Or did he have an annoyed expression?

It would have been much better if she could just see the look on his face. He might have won the battle by winning the first bet, but Sakura was definitely **still**in the lead in the war.

_**TBC**_

**

* * *

A/N: **Hahahahaha! Sakura's kicking Ami's ass big time… hehe… I never really liked Ami. Well, here's the preview for the next chapter.

**

* * *

Chapter 6—Misunderstanding**

Naruto immediately ran closer towards the Hyuugas when they gave attention to him. When he was a good distance towards them, he asked. "Hinata-chan, I just heard in the cafeteria." It was like Neji wasn't there at all. He was quite invisible in Naruto's vision. If Hinata was there, no one was there—in his perspective.

Hinata mentally shook her head and sighed. _Not this issue again._

"We'd been together?" He asked stupidly, believing every word Haruno Sakura said earlier in the cafeteria.

Hinata's shoulder's slumped lifelessly downwards after hearing what her childhood crush said.

Neji's eyebrow twitched in response. Yes, he's still there.

"I—never knew—you see." He stammered and laughed nervously. "But I can't believe that I would do such a thing! I can't believe that I would cheat on you by going with Gaara! Hinata-chan, I'm so sorry." Naruto sobbed, clasping his hands around Hinata's tiny ones.

**

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Updated:** April 15, 2006

**

* * *

Edit:** Fixed a mistake at the 'lunch' section.


	6. Misunderstanding

**Engagement On Hold**

**Summary:** (AU) Uchiha Sasuke is Konoha High's reigning prince. Haruno Sakura is…? Who is she again? What happens when the guy everybody knows finds himself engaged to the girl nobody knows?

**Genre: **Romance/Humor/Drama

**Pairings:** Sasuke/Sakura, Naruto/Hinata (for now)

**Author: **pei-chan

**Beta-reader:** Ruru Kitsuneko

**Disclaimer:** Wouldn't it be nice if Sasuke and Sakura were really engaged in the Naruto series? Then again, that would only occur in our dreams… ne?

**A/N:** I forgot to give thanks to my Onee-chan, Ruru Kitsuneko for giving me the idea for the current chapter—the idea about Sakura and Hinata being thought as gay in the last chapter was only thought out by my sister. Also, I would like to thank her for beta-reading my fic! She already knows that—but still! I would also like to thank those who reviewed in the last chapter. Thanks to: **sasusakunejitenten4eva**, **saki-kun**, **4ever2belove**, **otakualways**,** SweetAssassin**, **Mistress DragonFlame**, **Flames Of My Heart**, Tao, **xStrawberrycream**, **kimbie-animegal-sasusaku-sakyan4ever**, **2supersmart**, **HeartAngel**, **white-rosekiss**, **ashwings101**, krista, **Sexy.Black.Neko.**, **sasusaku14**, Myla, **xx.faith**, **Kurenai Chinoumi**, **Sister-of-the-Light**, **'uniquegirl'**, **KaTLeYa KaSSaNdRA KaReN LiN**, **AJ the Ass Slayer**, **daydreamer53221**, **neon kun**, **blackrose4ever**, **jezebelly x3**, review, **tIsHa01**, **Cethron**, angelgal, and **x Sakura-chan**. It's really great to read your reviews! I'm grateful.

* * *

**Chapter 6—Misunderstanding**

She sighed in relief. It was a good thing that the people around her weren't trying to avoid her and sneer at her as much like earlier in the morning. At least now, she wouldn't be so nervous just passing by the halls without hearing any rumors about her and her best friend being together. Sakura had always been a good friend. She was always there to help Hinata out.

"Hinata?" A cold and stern voice called out from behind the said girl, making her flinch at the very spot.

Oh this was just great! This was just not good.

"Ne… neji… ni… san…" Hinata stammered as she turned around with the same timid expression to face her cousin.

Hyuuga Neji was Hinata's older cousin. He was practically older than her by one year, putting him into 3rd year high school. He was basically the same as Uchiha Sasuke. He was a famous hunk in his class—well, for the female population. But he didn't have a fan club. Why? As long as the Uchiha brothers are still studying at Konoha, another fan club is impossible to be formed. Not that Neji cared. He couldn't care less actually.

"Hinata, what was that rumor and that announcement saying that you and this girl named Haruno Sakura being… together?" Even Neji couldn't bring himself to say it. That Sakura and Hinata were… together.

Sweat immediately dripped down from Hinata's forehead. Boy, her cousin sure knew how to make her nervous. She gaped to protest, but she couldn't find her voice because of the nervousness that she was feeling.

"Neji-niisan… there… must be… some kind of… mistake. Sakura-chan… and I… aren't… t—together. It… was just a… rumor its—its—Sakura-chan and I—aren't anything like that." Hinata stammered while fidgeting her fingers nervously.

"Then what was Haruno saying about you being together with—Uzumaki Naruto?" Neji asked as he quirked his eyebrow, giving his small cousin a stern and fixated gaze.

Hinata gulped nervously. She opened her mouth, but no words came out. She closed her mouth and opened it again, trying to find the right words that would convince her cousin that the rumor wasn't true. "Uh… u—you see… um… its…" How could she deny her cousin when what he was accusing her was something she definitely wanted to happen?

"Hinata-chan!" A familiar voice chirped from behind. Thank goodness! He came in the right time.

Neji's lavender orbs narrowed at the sound of his voice. No, he wasn't against his cousin and **him** being together because he hated the guy. It was because he didn't want his cousin to end up with a guy who was only able to enroll to their school by pure luck. He didn't really believe that the guy was smart. "Uzumaki."

"Naruto-kun?" Hinata asked as she trailed her eyes on the boy running towards them.

Naruto immediately ran closer towards the Hyuugas when they gave attention to him. When he was a good distance towards them, he asked. "Hinata-chan, I just heard in the cafeteria." It was like Neji wasn't there at all. He was quite invisible in Naruto's vision. If Hinata was there, no one was there—in his perspective.

Hinata mentally shook her head and sighed. _Not this issue again._

"We'd been together?" He asked stupidly, believing every word Haruno Sakura said earlier in the cafeteria.

Hinata's shoulder's slumped lifelessly downwards after hearing what her childhood crush said.

Neji's eyebrow twitched in response. Yes, he's still there.

"I—never knew—you see." He stammered and laughed nervously. "But I can't believe that I would do such a thing! I can't believe that I would cheat on you by going with Gaara! Hinata-chan, I'm so sorry." Naruto sobbed, clasping his hands around Hinata's tiny ones.

His actions made Hinata's cheeks red from blushing at the contact of their hands together. Her gaze was fixated on their connected hands, and she didn't know what to say.

However, her cousin wasn't the one to comply at seeing their small affection towards each other. He didn't like it at all. Why? One, he couldn't believe that he was shameless enough to broadcast to the world that he—was gay… or so he thought. Two, his grin is just irritating him. Three, he was just plain stupid for his taste. After organizing all the things that he hated about Uzumaki Naruto, he brought his fists up to punch the living daylights out of the blonde boy. However, he stopped his fist in midair as he heard the rest of the blonde's… er—confession.

"I just wanted you to know, Hinata-chan, that I didn't mean to do any harm. You are the one and only. I will never ever think of anyone else, but you. Remember that it will always be you that I'm thinking about." Naruto said romantically.

"Na—naruto… kun…" Hinata blushed in crimson red.

Neji's hand continued to twitch as he brought it down to his side. Like hello! He was still here. Can anyone realize that? They were both too caught up on their romantic fantasies that they failed to realize that he was still here with them. Not only was that, but Naruto's words of romanticism were quite irritating. Cliché much. He really needed some lessons on how to impress a girl without saying something—too cliché. It was working for Hinata though. It seems that they were perfect with each other.

_Not on my watch,_ Neji thought.

Naruto unconsciously brought his head down to give the Hyuuga a peck on the lips—or a kiss, maybe. He had always waited for this moment. At long last, he would be able to kiss the girl that he liked… since their first year in high school. He continued to bring his head down, not realizing that the Hyuuga heiress was blushing crimson red, and sweat dripping on her body from his actions.

She needed to stop him somehow. This had what she had always wanted, but she didn't want him to kiss her just because of some misunderstanding. "Uh… it's okay, Naruto-kun—really."

She pried her hands off his quickly before she changed her mind. It saddened her inside that he would be such a dobe to believe some kind of rumor that didn't even happen. It brought great disappointed to her. She didn't want him to show his affection towards her because he felt guilty. She wanted him to show his affection towards her because he wanted to.

Neji couldn't help but blink in bewilderment at his cousin's actions. He had always seen his cousin as a shy and timid girl that she is. He knew—even though he denied it many times—that his cousin had a long time crush at the blonde boy, but he never realized that she would turn down a sense of affection coming from him. It makes him wonder if there was anything wrong with his cousin for the moment.

Naruto blinked in confusion as he felt Hinata's hand suddenly pried out of his grasp.

Hinata took a step back and brought the hand that made contact with Naruto's own back to her side with a nervous expression on her face. She gulped as her heart pounded at the sight of the odd looks that her cousin and her long time crush were giving her. "Uh… I…" Hinata stuttered uneasily. "… I'll see you around." She said quickly and she turned around and swiftly ran away from them.

Naruto who was very confused at Hinata's actions called after her. "Wait! Hinata-chan!" He tried to run after her, but a frigid voice stopped him.

"I wouldn't do that if I were you."

Naruto turned around and glared at the speaker for trying to stop him, which in this case was Hyuuga Neji.

"Who the hell are you!" Naruto yelled, pointing his index finger towards Neji's figure.

"Hyuuga Neji, Hinata's cousin and you…" Neji paused creating a tension for the blonde boy in front of him.

It was silent for a couple more seconds until Neji replied. "… are not worth talking to." He said flatly. He turned around and walked away from the annoyed Naruto, not bothering to listen to his reply.

As Naruto saw Neji's retreating figure, his temple twitched in irritation. "Hey you, stop right there! I'm not done talking here!" He yelled across the hall not caring about the odd looks his fellow schoolmates were giving him.

"Well, I'm done talking." Neji said offhandedly as he continued to walk away from him. He was able to turn a corner, so that he would be able to free his ears for any more damages of Naruto's yelling.

* * *

"Sakura." 

The said girl stopped at her tracks when she heard a familiar catatonic voice that only belonged to one person. It seemed that that person was quite irritated and annoyed right at this very moment, which frightened her. She turned around and tried to smile at the sight of her older brother, but failed miserably. "Gaara-niichan, what brings you here?"

He merely crocked an invisible brow at her conspicuous attempts. "That thing that you said in the cafeteria earlier."

Sakura immediately tensed at her very spot. She clasped her hands together and quickly said, "I'm so sorry, Gaara-niichan. You know very well that I was lying right. I only did it cause of Hinata-chan. She wouldn't be able to take the pressure of hearing a rumor that isn't true. I—"

"I wanted to tell you that what you said about Naruto and me is not true." Gaara stated blankly.

Sakura merely stared at her brother with a sweatdrop. _Wasn't that what I was trying to tell him? I know that already! It was just a damn—stupid rumor to get Ami off my back!_

"He was the one coming to me and bothering me all the time whenever he felt like it." He continued with the same expression as before. "So, whatever it was you saw that made you brought that theory about me and Naruto being together is something that can only happen if I'm gay."

Sakura crocked an eyebrow. "Which… your not?" She asked—or rather stated reluctantly.

Gaara nodded. "Yeah."

"Yeah, I knew that already." Sakura replied sarcastically.

"I know you did." Gaara stated blankly as he turned around to make his leave.

"Then what was the point of this conversation!" Sakura yelled at her brother's retreating figure before he would distance himself even more.

Gaara stopped and turned around to face his sister at a distance. "I just wanted to hear you apologize." He said coolly as he turned around once again, leaving his sister behind.

Sakura gaped in disbelief as she watched her brother's back retreating slowly away from her. What was the point of that conversation about him **not** being gay? That was all just for what exactly? For his amusement, maybe. If he merely came only so that he would be able to here her apologize them he should've just told her that he wanted an apology. She knew that he wasn't gay! For all she knew, Gaara hated both genders—with the exception of his family and no one else.

* * *

She stopped when she arrived at the bridge connecting Konoha High from Konoha Institute where Uchiha Itachi was currently studying. She didn't care if there was class, and that she would be skipping even though she had always been the perfect student. She had always been the perfect student for the sake of her family's reputation, but today was different. She didn't care about school or about her family. All she could think about was one person. 

_Naruto-kun, you're such an idiot!_

She sniffed as she leaned on the bridge's railing and gazed at the reflection of herself by the flowing water.

_

* * *

I wonder where Hinata-chan is?_ Sakura thought as the bell rung one last time, concluding the end of school for the day. She had become worried when she didn't see her best friend for the rest of the day after the incident in the cafeteria.

_I hope those things I said didn't bother her as much._ Sakura thought anxiously. She waited until everyone had left, and when she realized that her best friend wouldn't arrive, she decided to head home as well. She sighed and decided to go home alone for the day.

She opened the sliding door, but a figure was there on the other side of the doorway blocked her path. She looked up and saw her fiancée's face. Handsome yet irritating. She gave him an innocent smile, making her fiancée irritated at her as well.

"Haruno," Sasuke's onyx orbs narrowed.

"Uchiha," Sakura glared back.

"Now I see" —Sasuke closed his eyes with a mocking smirk playing on his lips— "you only want me to break up the engagement because you have no interest in men, ne?"

Sakura flushed in embarrassment from Sasuke's sly comment.

"I can't believe a person like you could be gay—wait—just by looking at you…" Sasuke paused to trail his eyes on his fiancée's body from head to toe, making Sakura quiver involuntarily, "…it's not such a shock that a person like you is gay."

Sakura balled her hands into fists and gritted her teeth in anger. _I want to wipe that cocky smirk right off his face._

"Really now… I never realized that you were that low." Sasuke continued, shrugging.

_I wanna kill him! I wanna kill him!_ Sakura thought violently and aggressively. She needed to contain her anger. She just needed to. Even though she was dying to release her anger and just cream her fiancée to a bloody pulp… that is, if Sasuke would let her.

Sasuke continued to taunt his fiancée mercilessly as he eyed her mockingly. "What's wrong? You're awfully quiet. Give up yet?"

Sakura's frown was wiped off and was replaced by a snicker at the sound of Sasuke's mocking statement. Who does he think he is? She wouldn't go down that easily. No way! Snickering softly, Sakura was able to cool herself down to her cool façade. "I wonder… It would be nice to tell everyone about how I saw you and Naruto being so romantic together" —Sakura couldn't help but giggle— "before."

"That is so not true."

"So? Most of the people in this school seemed to believed what I said about me" —she struck a coy pose— "and you" —she inclined her head towards him— "being together, didn't you notice that?" Sakura gave him a taunting smile.

It seemed that she was right. After the cafeteria incident, Sasuke couldn't help but hear people talking about him, the famous Uchiha Sasuke getting infatuated with a geek named Haruno Sakura. Never happened. Not happening. Never going to happen.

"And why would you go through all the trouble of doing that?" Sasuke asked with a crooked eyebrow.

"Because it was your fault that I'm practically losing my invisibility at school and having your crazy fangirl torment me whenever possible." Sakura said her voice rising up from controlled anger.

"You're blaming that on me?" Sasuke scoffed and raised an eyebrow.

Sakura gave him a sneer, "Exactly."

"You can't blame me for that. It's not my fault that you're making yourself known to the people in this school." Sasuke scoffed. "If you want to be invisible so much, then you shouldn't have done something that brought attention to yourself."

Sakura growled in annoyance. The ego of this guy was just too big for her liking. "You're a jerk." Giving her fiancée a final glare, Sakura whirled around and ran towards the opposite direction, away from Uchiha Sasuke.

* * *

"Ino." 

The said blonde girl turned around in recognition of the voice and saw the person who called her.

"Tenten," Ino called back as the brunette approached her.

"You're still here?" Tenten asked, her voice laced with tints of confusion and amusement.

"Yeah," Ino nodded. "I was just about to leave."

Yamanaka Ino. Her family was at the top of the fashion industry in the country of Japan. It was considered the biggest and most successful one in the country. Most of the sexiest and most beautiful models were under the Yamanaka's umbrella. Ino was an only child, but even so… she wasn't a spoiled brat like other rich kids. She was rather nice and caring, but people could never really see it and generally thought the opposite about her because she hung out with Watanabi Ami.

Leung Tenten. She wasn't like any other student at Konoha. Her family didn't own a private business or was in the fashion industry like the other students studying at Konoha. She was only able to enroll in such a high standard school like Konoha because her father was a Chinese Diplomat. She didn't come from Japan, but from Hong Kong. Her mother was from the main land, in China; therefore, she speaks both Cantonese and Mandarin. Many people had already asked her why she chose to remain in Japan and study there, but she just shrugged off their curious gazes and said that she just felt like it. She feels more comfortable here in Japan than in her own country, it seems. She even has a job at a hospital during the weekends.

"I've been trying to look for you everywhere!" Tenten exclaimed.

Ino blinked in confusion. "Me?"

"Yeah… that friend of yours, Watanabe Ami."

_She isn't really "friend" material._ Ino sighed mentally. "What did Ami do now?" Ino sighed yet again from exasperation.

"Besides spreading a false rumor about two people just to ruin their lives—I think—no—she didn't do anything wrong." Tenten muttered sarcastically and rolled her eyes.

Ino gave a deep sigh, slapping her forehead with her palm. It was just like Ami to do such a reckless and selfish thing like that. "And whose life is Ami trying to ruin now?"

"Haruno Sakura. It seems that she's holding quite a grudge against her to make her stoop so low as to announce such a false rumor. Don't tell me you didn't hear the announcement she made earlier this morning?" Tenten frowned at her blonde friend.

Ino shook her head and sweatdropped. She laughed nervously. "Actually… I came late today. I came after lunch period was over."

Tenten raised a disbelieving eyebrow in Ino's direction. "Don't tell me you slept in." Tenten sighed. "Oh boy, Ino…"

"Hey, had a photo shoot late at night yesterday. You can't blame me for needing more sleep!" Ino exclaimed, slightly irritated.

Silence erupted then as Tenten didn't immediately reply at Ino's outburst. She wanted her friend to cool herself down first. Even though Ino was a beautiful model; she still had quite a temper. It wasn't wise to mess with a furious Ino, that is, unless you wanted to get your nose broken. Yes, noses. Ino had a thing for breaking people's noses when she's angry. Don't ask.

Ino slowly cooled down as she suddenly remembered what Tenten had said. Wait. Did she just say: Haruno Sakura?

"Haruno Sakura?" Ino asked, perplexed.

"Why? You know her?" Tenten asked with mild curiosity. She couldn't help but be curious about the girl named Haruno Sakura. Her public display during that time at the cafeteria earlier couldn't help but make her intriguing.

"I… I—think so." It couldn't be her now, could it? Was she the same person? Was she the same Haruno Sakura that Ino met two years ago?

* * *

Sakura had been contemplating on her pointless conversation with her fiancée. Well, their last conversation hadn't gone so well. Not that it ever did in the past. Sakura had been cursing about her annoying fiancée that she didn't realize that she had arrived at a familiar bridge that connected Konoha High to Konoha Institute. 

All her thoughts about her fiancée vanished when she found her missing best friend, leaning on the bridge's railing with a distant look on her face. Sakura, worried about her friend approached her slowly. She leaned on the railing beside Hinata. She trailed her eyes from her best friend to the clear water below. She was expecting Hinata to notice her presence, but the Hyuuga girl was still as silent as ever.

Sighing mentally, Sakura slid her gaze back to Hinata, an anxious look on her face. It took her a while to be able to think of what to say. "Hey… Hinata-chan, you didn't come to class this afternoon. What's wrong?" she asked softly.

Hinata kept her gaze on the water below them. Her lashes drooped over her lavender orbs as she responded. "Ne, Sakura-chan, why is Naruto-kun such an idiot… sometimes?"

Sakura sweatdropped at Hinata's question. Why was she asking her this? "Uh…" she sounded not really knowing what to say to the girl beside her. _Don't ask me. Even I don't know._

"He tried to kiss me today." Hinata said softly and sadly.

Sakura owlishly stared at her best friend who didn't bother to look at her in return, but kept her gaze on the water below. _Again!_ "What did you say! He tried to kiss you!" Sakura shook her head when she realized something. _Wait a minute. Wasn't she supposed to be glad that Naruto finally had the guts to kiss her?_ "I thought you liked him."

"I do," Hinata admitted as she shook her head. "But… not like that. He tried to kiss me only because he believed every word that you said at the cafeteria." Hinata sighed in exasperation.

"He actually believed that?" Sakura said in disbelief.

Hinata nodded. "I don't want him to show his affection towards me just because he feels guilty." She lowered her head sadly.

"But at least his actions do proves he really does have feelings for you, ne?" Sakura said, cheering her best friend up. She smiled as Hinata finally looked at her for the first time during their conversation.

Hinata smiled, her problem was slowly disappearing from her mind. It was a good thing that Sakura was her friend. Sure, people tended to ignore her and treat her as a non-existent person, but Sakura was always there for her in times of need. She may have said some things today that unintentionally made Hinata's life more complicated at school, but Hinata already forgave Sakura about that. After all, it was very difficult to get mad at her best friend anyway.

_**TBC**_

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A/N:** The preview for this in the last chapter was funny, huh? I felt bad that it didn't have much 'cause I already finished this chapter when I updated Chapter 5. I'm terribly sorry if it didn't have much humor. I hope you guys like the pairing NaruHina 'cause that will occupy most of the next chapter with **some** SasuSaku. There will also be a slight Drama in the next chapter.

To **Mistress DragonFlame**, um, I know very well that Naruto isn't **that** dumb. His stupidity in this chapter will prove quite useful for the next chapter—which by the way is half about NaruHina. Naruto will prove himself… later on in the fic.

To** xStrawberrycream**, most people aren't really offended by the idea of gays as long as it doesn't affect them directly. Example? If in a place, say, your school, there's sorta an open secret that someone you know is gay, you wouldn't think that much of it, because it's only an implied assumption. However, if that person would suddenly announce to everyone that: "yes, I am gay", some people would think differently, and not really in a good way, which is oftentimes the case, I'm sad to say.

Well, here's a preview for the next chapter.

**

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Chapter 7—Before the Festival**

Well, the Kitsuneko sisters' plan didn't work—as they wanted it to. They decided to dress the pink haired girl in the most hideous way possible, thinking that she would change her mind on her clothing and ask to be dressed more appropriately: as in like in a more lady-like kind of way. You know—reverse psychology. However, things didn't go as planned when Sakura kept the hideous outfit that they made her wear. She didn't even care. She merely said that at least she had clothing covering her body.

Today was the festival, however, and it was going to be held after school, as usual. After all, education comes first in Konoha High. The good thing though, was that the students were allowed to not wear their uniform only on this occasion. It just made things even better. Now, Sakura would have to wear hideous clothes to school, making herself even more noticeable. She didn't care one bit though. Why would she? They were just losers who couldn't stop criticizing other people's misfortunes to make themselves look good.

* * *

Sakura strolled at the school grounds receiving snickers and giggles from other high school students along the way. While most students were wearing stylish clothing, here was Haruno Sakura, wearing baggy low-slung purple pants, then bottoms of which were folded thrice over, an extremely tight neon orange shirt and an extremely hideously bilious-colored scarf that looked like it exploded. Add that to her thick-lenses and a hairstyle bordering on ridiculous and she looked a fright and a fashion disaster. 

**

* * *

SPECIAL MENTION (Please Read): I just want to mention about an innocent young male student in high school that died yesterday just right across my school. He attends a high school beside mine. Even though I never knew him or never met him, I can't help but mourn for his death. It saddens me that an innocent person like him would bet killed for no apparent reason at all. He died because of an issue of bus tickets. Lame? Stupid? Yes, a stupid reason, but he still didn't deserve to die. What irks me more is that the students from my school and from his school were just crowding around him doing nothing that might have helped him live. They just stood there; watching him bleed to death like it was an entertainment. I'm sorry if I'm getting too emotional about this, but I think that the young male student that died deserves to be recognized as a person who lived on this world. The media may have mentioned his name on the news or may had read his name on the newspapers. Still, words written on newspapers are merely names that are going to be erased in the world as soon as the incident isn't considered _interesting_ anymore. But looking at his picture personally at my school chapel maybe that was when I was really able to consider him as a real person.**

**

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Updated: **April 21, 2006


	7. Before the Festival

**Engagement On Hold**

**Summary:** (AU) Uchiha Sasuke is Konoha High's reigning prince. Haruno Sakura is…? Who is she again? What happens when the guy everybody knows finds himself engaged to the girl nobody knows?

**Genre: **Romance/Humor/Drama

**Pairings:** Sasuke/Sakura, Naruto/Hinata (for now)

**Author: **pei-chan

**Beta-reader: **Ruru Kitsuneko

**Disclaimer:** Wouldn't it be nice if Sasuke and Sakura were really engaged in the Naruto series? Then again, that would only occur in our dreams… ne?

**

* * *

Chapter 7—Before the Festival**

"GET OUT!"

A person came running out of the door with tears in her eyes. She approached her sister and started sobbing. "Nee-san," she sobbed, crying on her older sister's chest. "She's… she's so mean to me." She sobbed even more.

"There, there, Pei-chan," her older sister cooed, stroking her younger sister's hair to comfort her. "She didn't really mean it."

However, Sakura's voice came from the other end of the door, cussing at someone familiar. "YOU TWO MEDDLING TWITS! I DON'T CARE IF YOU'RE RECOMMENDED BY THE MOST FASHIONABLE PERSON IN THE WORLD; YOU'RE—NOT—TOUCHING—ME!"

"Okay… maybe I was wrong." Ruru Kitsuneko, who was Peitsuru's older sister, sweatdropped.

Peitsuru shivered at the piercing voice that she heard from Sakura. "She's so scary. What are we going to do, Ruru-nee?" Peitsuru asked her older sister, tears forming once again in her eyes.

Ruru became silent, thinking of a strategy to get their client to dress appropriately, like a lady. It took her a while before she finally found an idea, making her snap her fingers. "I got it."

Peitsuru, who was anxious to know what her older sister had in mind stopped sobbing and awaited for her sister to tell her the brilliant idea. "What?"

Ruru smirked at her younger sister's direction. "Reverse psychology."

Peitsuru wiped the tears on her face and frowned, "Reverse psychology?"

* * *

Well, the Kitsuneko sisters' plan didn't work—as they wanted it to. They decided to dress the pink haired girl in the most hideous way possible, thinking that she would change her mind on her clothing and ask to be dressed more appropriately: as in like in a more lady-like kind of way. You know—reverse psychology. However, things didn't go as planned when Sakura kept the hideous outfit that they made her wear. She didn't even care. She merely said that at least she had clothing covering her body.

Today was the festival, however, and it was going to be held after school, as usual. After all, education comes first in Konoha High. The good thing though, was that the students were allowed to not wear their uniform only on this occasion. It just made things even better. Now, Sakura would have to wear hideous clothes to school, making herself even more noticeable. She didn't care one bit though. Why would she? They were just losers who couldn't stop criticizing other people's misfortunes to make themselves look good.

* * *

Sakura strolled at the school grounds receiving snickers and giggles from other high school students along the way. While most students were wearing stylish clothing, here was Haruno Sakura, wearing baggy low-slung purple pants, then bottoms of which were folded thrice over, an extremely tight neon orange shirt and an extremely hideously bilious-colored scarf that looked like it exploded. Add that to her thick-lenses and a hairstyle bordering on ridiculous and she looked a fright and a fashion disaster.

Sakura didn't even notice the odd looks her schoolmates were giving her. She just kept walking towards the hallway leading to her class as if nothing was happening. That was… until someone commented on her clothing. Someone unexpected.

"Whoa, what are you wearing?" A deep voice said from behind.

Sakura turned around to glance at the person who spoke and saw that the person who commented on her style of clothing was none other than her older stepbrother, Kankuro. "Kankuro-niichan," Sakura said sighing while sweatdropping. She knew what was coming… another non-stop reprimand from her older sibling.

"Why are you wearing that? You know very well that today's a very special occasion. It's the only time that you can wear something—other than our boring school uniform." Kankuro stated coolly, eyeing Sakura with a stern expression.

"For your information, wearing a school uniform is less tiring than trying to pick out some random clothing like what these people are wearing." Sakura said, indicating the other students who were wearing… uh… stylish—nah, revealing clothes, trying desperately to attract the opposite gender, even though most are doing it unconsciously.

"Is it just me or is this 'geek' façade of yours going through your head? I can't believe that you would actually prefer wearing our plain old boring school uniform." Kankuro sighed.

"…"

"You should wear something that would show your body more. That way, you can get attention from guys. Wouldn't that make your **fiancée **jealous?" Kankuro snickered as he averted his gaze to the side. He brought his gaze back towards her, only to see a blank expression from his stepsister.

A twitch came on her temple, which was a sure sign of great irritation towards the older brother before her. What the fuck is he saying? With a blank expression, she stated flatly, "I can imagine Temari-neechan telling me this—but from you: no—"

Kankuro interrupted her by saying, "Hey, I'm not blind."

"Not to mention—having this ridiculous conversation from my own older brother." She scoffed, "And I couldn't care less about making my **fiancée **jealous! He could burn himself for all I care."

With her fury getting the better of her, Sakura turned around and continued to walk towards her class. She thought it would be wiser to leave her brother behind rather than regretting what she would do if she stayed even longer.

"Sakura!" Kankuro said, calling after her.

Sakura stopped abruptly without bothering to turn around. "Don't talk to me." She growled. After growling like a rabid hound at her brother, Sakura left without another word exchanged between the two of them.

They'll cool down and talk to each other again… eventually.

* * *

Hyuuga Hinata was at the dojo practicing very early in the morning. She had missed yesterday's practice because she was too busy contemplating about her encounter with her long time crush, Uzumaki Naruto. She wanted to catch up on all the things that she missed yesterday. It was even a great relief that the news of her skipping classes and practice didn't get back to her father. Or else, there would be trouble.

She sighed, trying to catch her breath in exhaustion. She had been practicing non-stop already and she needed a break. She took a deep breath and closed her eyes and started meditating. It was a good thing that she was alone in the dojo. The other members of the Karate Club weren't really fond of going to the dojo early in the morning, which was a relief for her. She preferred to be alone if she wanted to cool herself down from the past events from yesterday.

While meditating, she let her mind float freely, forgetting momentarily about the embarrassing and disappointing encounter that she had with her long time crush. During this time, she didn't realize the sliding door of the dojo creaking open, and a figure entering quietly.

After a couple of minutes of meditating, Hinata slowly opened her eyelids, revealing her lavender orbs once more. Positioning herself in a fighting stance, she approached the human sized punching bag. Drawing her fists back, she punched the punching bag as hard as her strength could muster. She continued her assault towards the punching bag by delivering more of her punches combined with a few kicks.

It was something that relieved her mind of everything. When she does Karate, she was able to forget everything. It was just Karate. It was like nothing else mattered.

Twirling herself around, she delivered the finishing move with a Spinning Back Kick. However, it wasn't the punching bag that received the painful blow. When Hinata realized that it was a live person that received her kick, a shocked gasp escaped her lips. She immediately brought her hand to cover her mouth from shock.

When a familiar blonde fell on the floor, groaning in pain, Hinata squirmed as she knelt down beside the blonde's fallen form. Oh no! What had she done!

Tears formed in Hinata's lavender orbs. She started panicking, making her stutter. "Na… Naruto-kun—I'm—I'm so sorry! I… I—didn't see you. So—I—"

Naruto cut her off as he gently gripped her petite wrist, which was hovering above his fallen figure. He chuckled, trying to make her feel better, but he immediately winced in pain from the powerful kick he received on the face. Hinata might be a timid girl, but when provoked, she could beat up anybody with her skills in Karate. He needed to watch out—just in case he might tick her off. He used his grip on Hinata's wrist and sat up. After getting himself to sit up, he released his hold from Hinata's wrist.

"I'm fine… Hinata-chan." Naruto chuckled, rubbing his aching cheek. "That's some powerful kick you have there." Before he knew it, he collapsed on the ground once more, still not recovering well from Hinata's powerful kick.

Hinata became even more worried, "Na—Naruto-kun!" She exclaimed.

He didn't like making the girl above him getting worried so he sat up once more and gave her a grin. However, he couldn't deny the fact that his vision became blurry when he did so. He blinked his eyes a couple of times until he was able to see Hinata's expression clearly. Again, he chuckled so as not to make her worry even more. "I'm fine now, Hinata-chan. I was just a bit woozy—but everything's okay now!" He chirped as happily as he could.

Hinata wasn't convinced as she kept gazing at Naruto with the same worried expression, indicating that she really felt bad for doing what she did. She felt so guilty. "I'm sorry," Hinata repeated.

Naruto gave her a grin. "There's nothing to be sorry about. I didn't tell you that I was here, so that kick was punishment for that."

Hinata's gaze left Naruto's grinning face and averted towards the floor with a sad expression. Something was bothering her. Seeing Naruto again couldn't help but make her remember yesterday's incident… the time when Naruto tried to steal a kiss from her… again (not that she knew about the first time, which was when she was unconscious. Sakura didn't bother to tell her—actually, her best friend was too disgusted with the incident, she couldn't get herself to tell Hinata about it.).

Naruto noticed Hinata's sad expression and also averted his gaze to the opposite side, unable to look at her. He sighed, unable to get himself to do what he came here for in the first place. Still, he needed to do it… no—he wanted to do it. "I'm sorry… Hinata-chan. I was a jerk yesterday."

His kind words made Hinata turn back to look at him once more. However, Naruto still kept his gaze to the side. He still couldn't get himself to look at her. He was… afraid. Watching him silently, her eyes softened as she saw his uneasy expression.

"I should have considered your feelings. I shouldn't have become so… aggressive." Naruto said guiltily.

A smile formed on Hinata's lips. He was trying really hard to apologize, coming here so early in the morning just to do that. It made her really happy. "It's fine. Don't worry. I forgive you."

Relieved and glad at the reply that he received, Naruto immediately turned towards Hinata and smiled at her. Getting **too** happy about the outcome of the situation, Naruto pulled Hinata into a tight embrace, making her blush crimson red from embarrassment.

"Uh… Naruto-kun…"

Realizing his mistake, Naruto immediately released the blushing girl and muttered an apology. "Sorry. I got carried away." He rubbed the back of his head and chuckled.

It took a while for Hinata to recover. It took a couple more seconds before she was able to calm down, thus, returning to her pale—and not blushing figure.

However, Naruto's grin made her blink in confusion. "Hinata-chan, that wasn't also why I came here. I wanted to… um…" Naruto rubbed the back of his head once again, trying to calm himself down. He was embarrassed—no—scared to say it. "… Um… will you… you know…" he drew in a deep breath. He was almost there. He can do it. "… Go with me… to the festival… today?"

There he said it. Now, all he needed to do was wait for Hinata's reply—which was hard to do. He wanted her to say 'yes', but what if she said 'no'?

It took a while for Hinata to bring herself back to the land of the living. She was too busy with her thoughts. _Did Naruto-kun just ask me what I think he did?_ She shook her head to snap herself out of her reverie. She gave him a soft smile and finally gave him the answer he was waiting for. She nodded, "Sure."

Naruto became so pleased with Hinata's answer that he jumped for joy. While doing so he kept saying, "Yes, yes!" Hinata merely smiled at Naruto's childish actions, not minding it one bit at all. She even giggled at his reaction. However, their perfect moment was soon ruined as Naruto stopped dead in his tracks and stared at Hinata with an expression she didn't like. He looked like he was guilty—again.

"Uh… Hinata-chan… I'm sorry… I—I can't go. I just realized that I have a detention during the festival." Naruto muttered guiltily. Oh great! And here he was thinking that the misunderstanding he had with Hinata was finally solved. Now, another one emerges. _Damn you, Sasuke-teme! And damn your—whoever she is!_

(At that moment, both Sasuke and Sakura sneeze. You all know what that means…)

Hinata sighed, realizing what Naruto meant. So much for that idea, which was a great one, by the way. She sweatdropped, _Naruto-kun, you asked me only to tell me that you yourself can't go._ Hinata sighed once more. _Oh well, what can I do._ Hinata closed her eyes and lowered her head out of Naruto's view.

Naruto, feeling uncomfortable with Hinata's reaction, leaned down so that he could get a good look at her face. "Hinata… chan…?" Naruto muttered with great hesitation. He didn't want her mad… again.

"Oh well, I'll just visit you then." Hinata shrugged, looking at him while smiling. "Then we can spend time there, ne?"

Naruto shouted with glee as he picked Hinata up from the ground and brought her into another tight embrace. It slipped his mind about being too… forward. He didn't really remember that. All he remembered was that he was glad of Hinata's answer. He was so happy.

Hinata merely tilted her head, trying to look at Naruto's smiling face while she was in his tight embrace. Too bad she couldn't see his face. All she could do was imagine his smiling face, and imagining that… made her smile. She was glad that their misunderstanding was finally solved.

* * *

"Well, well, well. What do we have here?" he smirked, ticking off the girl before him. "Nice sense of style you have. I'm awfully amused. I never knew this one existed." He taunted.

Sakura twitched; hearing her fiancée's taunting just pisses her off. She growled. What was the reason again—why—he wouldn't stop taunting her 24/7? Was it only because he just wanted her to get so ticked off at him that she would be left with no choice but to break the engagement, or was he just doing this for fun?

Well, two could play this game? "Why thank you! I love my sense of style. It's quite unique actually." She gave him a fake smile.

Sasuke crooked his eyebrow at her direction like she was insane. He never knew where she would actually go with that. "Sorry, but you actually look hideous to me right now."

Sakura growled at his comment. "Shut up!"

"Don't tell me you're going to the festival looking like that. Maybe, it wouldn't be so bad after all. You can laugh at me picking garbage and I can laugh at you for looking so ridiculous." Sasuke smirked.

"I'm not going." Sakura said with gritted teeth.

"Really now? How come?" He asked in an amused tone of voice. He liked the outcome of the situation more and more.

"None of your damn business!" Sakura snarled.

The tension between them was suddenly broken when someone jumped on the handsome Uchiha.

Sasuke felt a soft body and a heavy weight on his back. Petite arms filled with expensive jewelry encircled him. When he heard a giggle coming from behind, he tilted his head around to gaze at the person behind him. He groaned in irritation when he saw a smirking violet haired, Watanabe Ami.

"Ne, Sasuke-kun, did you miss me?" Ami purred. It seemed that she's forgetting the things that Sakura said the other day about her and Sasuke being together… or maybe, she still didn't want to give up the Uchiha to Sakura without a fight.

"Not really," Sasuke replied nonchalantly.

"How could you not miss me when you're hanging out with this loser geek?" Her feet landed on the ground. She brought her arms that encircled his neck lower, towards his waist.

Ami gave a sneer at Sakura's direction. "What a hideous outfit! Ugh, the color burns my eyes! She's such an embarrassment to our school. Ne, Sasuke-kun!" Ami purred, tightening her grip on his waist.

Sasuke became even more irritated but didn't do anything to pry the disgusting insect off.

"Ne, Sasuke-kun, you love a more beautiful person like me more than her, right? Because I'm so beautiful, you would break up with her and go out with me." Ami purred as she brought his body closer to hers so that he could feel her breasts being pressed on his clothed back. He shuddered from the contact in response.

_I don't like what she's doing._

Just looking at them disgusted Sakura. Her eye started twitching in disgust. Blah! Get a room for goodness sakes! It was too much for her eyes to see the two people she didn't like fondling each other. Actually, it was Ami who's doing that—but still. She didn't know how much of this she could watch and with Ami's competitive genes are just making things worse. She realized two years ago that Ami could never be a good friend. Now, she realized that it was also bad to be one of her enemies. Oh well, what can she do. She has made the top on Ami's 'hated people' list and there was nothing she could do to change that.

Sasuke didn't like this. He didn't like their position at all—yes, his and Ami's embarrassing position. Still, he couldn't just push her away. Nope, he couldn't do that. He would never do that, nor would he ever. Why? He had more pride than that. He wouldn't just push a girl—any girl. Even though the girl was like Ami.

Watching them was too much for her. She just had to leave. "Uh… I'll leave you two alone. I think you two need some time alone." Sakura walked off without hesitation. She was glad to leave them alone. Of course Ami was trying very hard to make her jealous. But the worse scenario was that—Sakura wasn't jealous. She actually felt awkward seeing the two fondle each other. She didn't know if her actions would make Ami satisfied or annoyed, but heck—she didn't care about that right now. They could do whatever they wanted—just not in front of her, thank you very much! She wouldn't want to dream about either of them doing anything of the sort! It would be a double nightmare!

"Sasuke-kun, thank goodness she left! Now we can spend more quality time together because I can't be with you to protect you from her during the festival today."

"Why is that?" Sasuke asked half caring.

"Because" —Ami sniffed— "I'm suspended from going!"

_Thank goodness for that! At least I won't have to worry about her during the festival ogling me._ Sasuke sighed thankfully. With his fiancée and his annoying number one fan girl not there, maybe it wouldn't be so bad after all.

From afar, Sakura didn't notice a pair of eyes watching her stroll down the halls to her classroom. The person watching her had a soup-bowl haircut with bushy—very bushy—eyebrows. He stared at the pink haired girl with passion in his gaze. He was wearing plain green spandex. No style really. His name… Rock Lee.

"Sakura-san, you are unlike the others! No matter what you wear, you are still as beautiful as a spring flower and you shine like the sun!"

* * *

From behind, Hyuuga Neji couldn't help but frown at Lee's cliché speech. "Yeah, you two would make a lovely couple. The bushy brow guy and the geeky girl." He muttered offhandedly.

However, it seemed that Lee hadn't heard what he was saying. "Eh… did you say something, Neji?" Lee asked innocently as he turned to look at the Hyuuga. Okay, scratch that, he didn't really hear it at all.

Neji turned away in disbelief at Lee's stupidity. He walked away, leaving Lee behind without another word.

* * *

As she slid her classroom door open and entered the accursed room, she found that all eyes were suddenly—and unusually—focused on her. Well, not really on her, but on the clothes that she was wearing. Some of them cringed and shuddered from the clashing colors of her outfit. Purple and orange were two colors that **just** didn't mix.

As she strolled quietly and shamelessly towards her seat, she could hear the sound of her classmates talking about her—making fun of her to be precise.

"Oh my God, do you see what she's wearing!"

"What a pathetic sense of style!"

"Honestly, everyone knows that purple and orange—like—clash with each other."

"Even a child knows that!"

"Talk about a pauper's uncool wardrobe!"

"A child! Even an infant knows that!"

"Who does she think she is?"

"She'll never be cool like us—no matter how hard she tries!"

Most of the students laughed as Sakura sat on her seat quietly without saying a word to them. Her back was facing them, so they didn't see her expression. She suddenly lowered her head onto her desk and buried her face on her crossed arms on the desk.

This made the class think that tears were already forming on the poor girl's face, which didn't stop the class at all from continuing to taunt her with hurtful words.

"Oh, is the poor girl crying?" A random girl taunted, faking an innocent look.

"You know, you should stop, you guys—or else she just might run to the teachers for help." Another girl protested in a bogus attempt at defending the underdog—which in this case, would've been Sakura.

One guy snorted, "It's not like the teachers would even realize that she's asking for help."

"Heck, they don't even notice that she's there."

"She'll be crying like an invisible ghost."

The class laughed once more, enjoying their torment towards Sakura. Their laughter soon died as the slidding door of their classroom opened once more. It was then that Hyuuga Hinata and Uzumaki Naruto came in the classroom, with Hinata immediately taking note of her other classmates' rude behavior before giving them an uneasy look as she averted her gaze towards her best friend, who had her head buried on her arms.

Feeling worried about her best friend's condition, Hinata ran towards Sakura's side and placed a gentle and comforting hand on her shoulder.

Naruto had his hands on the back of his head as he gave a piercing glare at his classmates' direction when he realized what had happened. Both he and Hinata knew. After all, they could hear their classmates' voices even at the far end of the hallway.

Naruto averted his gaze from Hinata, who was trying to comfort her best friend. He turned back towards his classmates who were all gathered at the back of the room and narrowed his cerulean orbs. "Anyone who makes the new girl cry will get beaten to a pulp. I don't care if you're a girl or not, I'll make you sorry that you ever mess with the new girl." Naruto took his hands away from the back of his head and started to crack his knuckles.

Oh how he loved the ways that he would make them pay. They wouldn't try to insult him for being a mere scholarship student. It wouldn't be because he was best friends with the most famous and admired student in Konoha High—who was of course, Uchiha Sasuke. It was because he had the power to beat the entire class whenever he wished. They may talk big because of the amount of dough they possess, but they couldn't back up their words with their fists to save themselves from dying. However, Naruto not only talked big, but he also backed it up with his own two fists. Anything you do that would piss him off, and you just might find yourself in the hospital the next day.

He had also beaten up other students because of the way they treated him for being a mere scholarship student. (Who knows how it happened.) Still, he was never expelled for sending the guy into the hospital with fractured bones and ribs. One, the principal may say that Naruto annoys the hell out of her, but deep down she's actually quite fond of the blond idiot. Another thing was that Uchiha Sasuke was sure to save his sorry ass whenever he needed it. He was a reliable friend.

"Get ready assholes, I'll make you feel sorry for what you just did!" Naruto grinned maliciously. "You mess with the new girl—you mess with me!"

He still couldn't make the fact that Sakura had been his classmate since the beginning of high school register in his mind. It was either he was just ignorant of the fact that Sakura and him had been in the same class since the beginning of high school, or he just liked to refer to her as the 'new girl'.

Hinata gently shook Sakura's shoulder. "Sakura-chan. Sakura-chan. Please don't cry. Who cares what these people say. Wasn't that what you told me before? Sakura-chan, please…" Hinata continued to shake Sakura's shoulder gently.

Suddenly, a moan came from the pink haired girl. "Sakura-chan?" Hinata blinked in confusion.

Slowly, Sakura lifted her head to reveal her face. It wasn't wet and moist as how a person who cried looked. She stared at Hinata with groggy eyes. She rubbed her eyes as she placed a hand on her mouth when she yawned.

"Hinata, is it time for class already?" Sakura asked drowsily.

"Eh?" Hinata sweat dropped. She couldn't believe her. Unbelievable. "Sakura-chan, don't tell me that… you were sleeping this whole time."

"Yeah, I heard many soft murmurs that made me sleepy. It sounded just like like a soft lullaby." Sakura gave an innocent smile.

"Did you even understand a word they were saying?"

"No, why? Were they actually saying any words in it? I merely heard what sounded like soft music." Sakura smiled once more.

Hinata couldn't help but slump her shoulders in disbelief. Her best friend never ceased to amaze her.

Suddenly both girls heard a chuckle. They both turned towards the direction where it came from and saw Naruto laughing. He had his hand on his stomach and forehead as he continued to laugh.

As soon as he was able to calm himself down a little, he gave a grin. He ruffled his hand through his hair with the grin still in place. "I like you. I like your style Sakura-chan." Naruto smiled toward Sakura's direction.

Sakura could only stare at him in confusion. What did she do? Did she really do something? "Huh?"

Meanwhile, their classmates had other… dark thoughts in mind.

_I can't believe she just slept through that._

_That bitch!_

_How dare she ignore us!_

_Who does she think she is_ _sleeping—that insolent wench!_

_It makes my blood boil._

_I so want to wring that neck of hers. _

* * *

Sakura was glad to be home. The students at school did nothing besides laugh at her clothing and insult her along the way. Now, she needed to be in a place where no one would be there, and there would be no annoying bitches spitting out insults every minute, wherever she went. It was getting annoying.

Sakura sighed. She was definitely not going to that festival. Why? There was no way she would let her mother dress her up for the festival. She preferred her current style. She wouldn't want a new one. No way. It was too much work—and most of all—it was pointless.

"Sakura-chan!" Sumire chirped as her daughter came through the door.

_Oh great, here it goes._ Sakura thought. "Mother, I—"

"Gaara," Sumire called out.

Before Sakura knew it, the door was closed shut. Startled, Sakura turned around and saw her older brother by the door with a blank expression on his face. _Oh great, this is even better._ Not good.

"Sakura, you're coming with me. You're going to that festival whether you like it or not." Sumire said sternly.

Sweat dripped down Sakura's forehead. She was getting more and more nervous by the minute. Still, she protested. "No way!"

Sumire scoffed. "You leave me no choice then. Gaara."

Sakura felt herself being lifted up by the waist. Before she knew it, she was lifted off the ground by her older brother and was already being carried away on his shoulders. She gulped from nervousness.

"This time you're not running away. You will be dressed like a lady—and that's how it's going to be." Sumire said coolly.

What else could she do? There was nothing else to be done when her mother was this way. All she can do now is…. Scream!

* * *

"NO!"

She spotted her older sister while her brother walked towards the room where the Kitsuneko sisters fixed her up that morning; she immediately tried asking for help.

"Temari-neechan, don't let them do this to me. Please!" Sakura pleaded while she was on her older brother's shoulders.

Temari could merely sweatdrop at her younger sister's desperate actions—not to be fixed up. What did she have against looking beautiful like how she was two years ago? She didn't know. She kept silent as Sakura disappeared—along with her futile pleading through the door as it closed shut.

* * *

She looked at herself in the mirror and gasped. Her pleading not to have a makeover for the festival didn't seem successful as the Kitsuneko sisters were still able to do some major adjustments to her—with the help of her own brother, Gaara—with their best abilities—with great results. She brought her hand slowly up to her face, astonished by her own reflection in the mirror. She couldn't believe it. It was like staring at the Haruno Sakura she knew from two years ago.

"Oh my God." She muttered in shock. She couldn't believe that she would look so different. She couldn't even recognize herself. Her geeky look had been completely erased. Her skin looked so smooth and beautiful.

She kept her gaze fixed on the mirror, staring at herself owlishly. She was utterly speechless. But the question was: if she would actually go to the festival looking like this. Well, if she **did **go to the festival, would anyone even recognize her as the same Haruno Sakura from school? Maybe not… Definitely not!

_**TBC**_

**

* * *

A/N**: (Jumps with glee) YAY! BOO YA! I'm excited for the next chapter! I hope you guys are too! Sakura—show them what you're made off! You go girl! Ami's not there—go and take your chance!

**EDIT: **Fixed some grammatical redundancies, which I noticed was what I tended to do in these initial chapters.

In the next chapter there will be a SasuSaku moment, which I find quite romantic. It even made my heart flutter. I hope you guys will feel the same way. Well, here's a sneak peak on the next chapter.

**

* * *

Chapter 8—The Festival**

"You look **so** fabulous!" Sumire chirped happily, clasping her hands together at the sight of her beautiful daughter.

Sakura remained speechless as she merely kept staring at herself in the mirror. She was wearing a beautiful white collared, pink and yellow-flowered blood-red kimono dress that ended a few inches above the knee with an elegantly chevron-patterned pink and black obi with a white silk twine rope around it accentuating the slenderness of her waist, seamless black tights, and calf-high white boots with blood-red laces and one-inch heels the same color of her kimono. Her pink hair was parted at the left with the right side sweeping nicely to frame her face and the left side secured by two tiny red barrettes. The rest was swept back in an elegant triple topknot and secured by exquisite gold Japanese hair needles with slender dangling beadworks. A matching slender chained cabochon-ruby necklace and bracelet, another chunky gold bracelet and a ring on her right pinky, plus nice shiny miniature shuriken earrings completed her accessories. The light peach-colored lip-gloss and sexy soft-pink nail polish completed her ultra-feminine appearance. _Is that my cleavage peaking out from the collar? Good Lord!_ Sakura thought dizzily. She took a deep breath and turned around to face her mother. "I'm still not going—especially now that I'm looking like this." She said stubbornly.

Sumire blinked in utter confusion of her daughter's stubbornness. She was hoping that Sakura would at least comply with going to the festival now that she looked more… presentable. Why was she being so stubborn?

"Fine then." Sumire said sternly. "Gaara," she called for her son the tenth time this evening.

Sakura flinched on the spot.

**

* * *

Updated: **May 10, 2006


	8. The Festival

**Engagement On Hold**

**Summary:** (AU) Uchiha Sasuke is Konoha High's reigning prince. Haruno Sakura is…? Who is she again? What happens when the guy everybody knows finds himself engaged to the girl nobody knows?

**Genre: **Romance/Humor/Drama

**Pairings:** Sasuke/Sakura, Naruto/Hinata (for now)

**Author: **pei-chan

**Beta-reader: **Ruru Kitsuneko

**Disclaimer:** Wouldn't it be nice if Sasuke and Sakura were really engaged in the Naruto series? Then again, that would only occur in our dreams… ne?

**

* * *

Chapter 8—The Festival**

"You look **so** fabulous!" Sumire chirped happily, clasping her hands together at the sight of her beautiful daughter.

Sakura remained speechless as she merely kept staring at herself in the mirror. She was wearing a beautiful white collared, pink and yellow-flowered blood-red kimono dress that ended a few inches above the knee with an elegantly chevron-patterned pink and black obi with a white silk twine rope around it accentuating the slenderness of her waist, seamless black tights, and calf-high white boots with blood-red laces and one-inch heels the same color of her kimono. Her pink hair was parted at the left with the right side sweeping nicely to frame her face and the left side secured by two tiny red barrettes. The rest was swept back in an elegant triple topknot and secured by exquisite gold Japanese hair needles with slender dangling beadworks. A matching slender chained cabochon-ruby necklace and bracelet, another chunky gold bracelet and a ring on her right pinky, plus nice shiny miniature shuriken earrings completed her accessories. The light peach-colored lip-gloss and sexy soft-pink nail polish completed her ultra-feminine appearance. _Is that my cleavage peaking out from the collar? Good Lord!_ Sakura thought dizzily. She took a deep breath and turned around to face her mother. "I'm still not going—especially now that I'm looking like this." She said stubbornly.

Sumire blinked in utter confusion of her daughter's stubbornness. She was hoping that Sakura would at least comply with going to the festival now that she looked more… presentable. Why was she being so stubborn?

"Fine then." Sumire said sternly. "Gaara," she called for her son the tenth time this evening.

Sakura flinched on the spot.

"I thought that you might still be this stubborn—so I made sure that you're going to that festival. That's why I asked Gaara to take you there." Sumire said as she watched Gaara flip his younger sister on his shoulders once more and make his way towards her—out of the door. She watched as her youngest daughter struggled to get free of Gaara's grasp but failed miserably.

Before the two siblings disappeared out of the door, Sakura was able to ask—actually, she yelled at the top of her lungs. "Why are you so eager to make me go to this **darn** festival anyway?"

"Because I want you to sweep your fiancée off his feet with your beauty—along with the rest of the guys at your school." Sumire chuckled, punching the air excitedly. Something's wrong with her—yes, definitely something's wrong with her.

Sakura managed to stare owlishly at her mother before she and Gaara disappeared out the door. "That's a stupid reason." She screamed again at the top of her lungs, hoping that her mother would hear it. She couldn't believe it. Her mother was definitely insane. Honestly—what kind of reason was that! Her mother craved attention so much that she also wanted her daughter to have boys heads over heals over her. Well, she could have that herself. Sakura didn't want attention. Couldn't she realize that?

Oh well, what else could she do? Her older brother wouldn't let go anyway. Maybe, she just had to go to this festival after all. She just hoped that no one would realize that she was there.

* * *

He heard sobbing from his shoulder as they arrived at long last at their school, which was currently crowded with people. For being the richest and most famous school in town—obviously people would come to a one-time festival at Konoha. Their festivals were very well carried out, and much different from the other schools' festivals. No one would want to miss it. Neither was it exclusively for the young or old, or rich or poor. Everyone would definitely come. Konoha seldom had these kinds of festivals; therefore, this opportunity was definitely one that couldn't be missed.

He became even more irritated as the sobbing continued. He tilted his head a bit to trail his eyes on his little sister on his shoulder. "What are you crying about?" He said impassively.

"You enjoy doing this, don't you?" Sakura sobbed.

"Enjoy what… exactly?" Gaara asked.

"Torturing me like this, you've all ganged up on me. What's up with that?" Sakura sobbed even louder while she pounded her fist on Gaara's back, which he ignored—totally.

"It's not my fault. It was 3 against 1. You should be even glad that I tried to deny their wishes and voted for you." Gaara stated blankly, averting his eyes back to where he was going. He continued to walk—but to a place where he wouldn't attract too much attention. With his sister on his shoulder like this, he definitely didn't look normal.

"What are you talking about?" Sakura shook her head in confusion.

"We had to cast a vote if we wanted you to dress like a lady for once for this occasion. I lost. It was 3 against 1." He walked—successful in not attracting attention from anyone—for now. He walked by the side of the school, trying to go through the back door.

"You voted for that?" Sakura stared at him in owlish disbelief. "Don't tell me, mother, Temari-neechan and Kankuro-niichan were the ones who voted for me to be dressed like this?"

"Why… don't you like being dressed like that?" Gaara asked impassively, catching his sister off guard. He opened the back door and entered the school from there.

Sakura couldn't get herself to reply to his question. She couldn't really say that she hated being dressed like other normal girls would dress themselves. After all, she had been dressing like this until a year ago, until that incident happened. She couldn't deny that she did miss dressing like this again. She had been abusing herself by trying to make herself look like the most hideous person in the world. However, she did have a reason. Dressing like this once again, and looking at herself in the mirror, she couldn't help but feel guilty inside. Remembering that past incident made her feel so guilty no matter how long it had been.

Gaara couldn't help but tilt his head to glimpse at his unusually silent sister. He knew what she was thinking… and he couldn't help but worry about her.

Sakura was snapped out of her reverie when Gaara stopped to a sudden halt. Her eyes trailed off around the room, trying to figure out where they were. When she realized the place, she became confused. "We came all this way just to go to the entrance of the school? What are we doing here?"

"Signing in," Gaara merely said, baffling his sister even more.

"Why?"

"Don't you know? This festival is mandatory. Everyone has to come—no complaints. So, it makes me wonder why you're so eager not to go, knowing its mandatory. You knew very well that it's mandatory and that a punishment will be made for everyone who doesn't come. It makes me wonder." Gaara approached the familiar machine that the students used to sign in, indicating to the school that they were present.

He took out his school ID and swiped it through the machine. He looked up at the monitor located right above them. As he saw his personal information on the screen, he took another ID from his pocket and swiped it once more on the machine. When the information about the owner of the ID appeared, Sakura couldn't help but gasp.

"So—now you go and take my stuff!" She growled, glaring at her brother who wasn't facing her at all and wouldn't be able to see her piercing glare.

"For precautions… you're supposed to be glad that I'm doing you a favor by saving your skin. From Mother—and the principal." He stated calmly.

This made Sakura silent for a while. However, she didn't stay that long. "I think I'd rather take the punishment than this torture. Let go of me, Gaara-niichan. My outfit is short enough as it is—me being on your shoulder is just making things worse!" She protested whole-heartedly. _I swear—I definitely don't want anyone seeing my underwear. No! _Sakura sobbed.

"Not yet. I know that you're going to run away once I let you walk on your—"

"I'm not going anywhere. I'm wearing boots for crying out loud! I can't run away from you wearing these!"

"… Fine." He brought Sakura down as he heard her sigh in relief. She gave a sharp glare at Gaara's direction, which he gladly returned with a quirk of his eyebrow—no, he didn't have one. Well, you get the picture.

They kept their stoic face-off expressions until a random 18-year-old male walked by but not without noticing the new girl in the vicinities of the school. He trailed his eyes lustfully at the gorgeous girl's outfit focusing mostly on how short her skirt was and hoping that the poor oblivious girl's underwear could be seen. He whistled only when he had safely passed by them, making Sakura swiftly turn around in confusion.

"What the…?" Her sentence was cut short when her gaze became focused on the guy who passed by. The unknown guy turned around and gave her a sly wink, making Sakura gape in disbelief. Her cheeks unconsciously reddened as she blushed, crimson red. She knew the feeling of being flirted with by the opposite sex, but being considered invisible by everyone for the past two years made her unusual to the affectation.

She calmed herself down enough that she was able to turn around to face her brother once more, giving him a pissed off glare. "See! That's what I mean. That's what happens when I dress like this. The guys are making me embarrassed by giving me these winks, whistling, and when they flirt with me!"

"Embarrassed?" Gaara asked. "I know that you like the affectations and attention that they're giving you. You used to like it q years ago." He stated offhandedly, not caring if his statement ticked off his sister.

Sakura balled her hands into fists, totally annoyed at her brother. She gritted her teeth and growled. "I… do—NOT!"

"Eh?" A new voice interrupted the two siblings' quarrel.

Both of them turned to their side to where the source of the voice came from and saw a familiar blonde boy looking at them wide-eyed. What the hell was his problem? Sakura frowned at the thought.

"Gaara," Naruto called out. He approached the said guy and gave wide-eyed glances at Sakura, which irked her.

"What?" Gaara asked, his voice hinting slight irritation. Naruto had always come to him whenever he got the chance. He didn't know whether it was to annoy him or what. It was probably the 'or what'—if he only had a clue what the 'what' was in the first place.

The expression on Naruto's face was one of utter surprised at something. In fact, he was very surprised, which caused him to staring owlishly and gaping at Gaara. "You… you have a girlfriend and you didn't tell me!" He shouted, making his voice echo around the room… or maybe also the school.

Because Naruto's voice was very articulated—and very loud, everyone around the entrance hall had their attentions focused on them. Not good. They heard Naruto's little outburst. Now, Sakura would now be considered Gaara's girlfriend, which disgusted her. They were siblings for goodness sakes! They weren't—lovers or whatever it was that she could feel they were all thinking. They were both **not** gay and definitely not incestuous individuals.

"Jackass," Sakura muttered under her breath. She stomped towards Naruto and snatched his ear forcefully, making Naruto yelp in pain. She pulled his ear, her grip becoming even firmer as she yanked Naruto out of the crowded entrance hall. She kept on dragging him, ignoring his grunts of pain until they arrived in an empty hall.

She released her firm grip on his ear and watched as Naruto straightened himself up, while rubbing his tormented ear, trying to relieve himself of the pain. From behind Naruto, Sakura saw Gaara walking towards them. He was much slower when he followed them.

"Naruto," Gaara called out impassively as he neared the two of them. "Meet my sister." He stated bluntly, earning a frown from Sakura.

"Eh? Did you just say… sister?" Naruto asked frowning.

Gaara nodded.

Naruto then turned towards Sakura and took her hand, earning him a confused look from Sakura as he suddenly started shaking her hand.

"Wow, Gaara, I never knew that your sister could be so pretty! Still, I like Hinata-chan better." Naruto said offhandedly, not caring if he might have offended the girl in front of him.

Sakura mentally sighed as she gave Naruto blank stare. Couldn't he stop comparing anyone to Hinata?iHhH She It was obvious that the blond was head over heels with the Hyuuga heiress―but still. His reaction was starting to get redundant.

Then again, if he didn't know that it was her… then maybe…

"Naruto-san, couldn't you have possibly known me before?" She said as her tone suddenly changed into a sweet, innocent one, while giving Naruto a sweet smile. She had to make sure.

Naruto scratched his head, thinking of any incident that he might have met her before. He was silent for a while until he shook his head. "I don't think so."

Sakura's sweet smile quirked into a devious smirk right at the moment he replied. Before Naruto knew what was happening, he felt pain on his cheek as he flew across the hall because of the powerful punch Sakura gave him.

Sakura felt extreme contentment flood through her as she saw Naruto's figure hit the ground a few feet away from her. She thought that punching Naruto was payback for all the rude things he had ever said to her. She hated it when he thought of her as a new student in Konoha High when they had been classmates for over two years now—well close to two years. She also wanted to punch him for the times he would be unconsciously rude to her just because he was so hung up on her best friend. It irritated her to no end.

Naruto stood up, wobbling a bit from the impact of Sakura's punch and rubbed his cheek. After recovering a bit from Sakura's punch, Naruto stomped towards her and glared at her.

"What the heck was that for? I don't even know you and you punch me for no apparent reason!" Naruto hollered at Sakura's calm expression.

No, she didn't feel any guilt from doing what she just did. Well, maybe she did. A little bit. Since he had become quite nicer to her for the past week, she was actually getting fond with him. He deserved it as a matter of fact. His ignorance was just ticking her off. Now… how to get him off of her back…

"Naruto, my sister's not from here."

Sakura and Naruto turned back towards Gaara, almost forgetting that he was also there with them. In Sakura's mind, she couldn't help but give her older brother a wary look. _What could he be planning?_

"My sister's from another country and punching people on the face is how they greet the people they first meet." Gaara stated blankly.

Sakura's shoulders slumped down as she sweatdropped from hearing her older brother's alleged excuse. What the hell? Who would believe that stupid reason!

All of Naruto's anger disappeared after realizing what Gaara meant. "Oh… okay then." Naruto seemed to believe every word that Gaara had said. He didn't even complain anymore.

And this was what Sakura found awfully weird. She couldn't believe he bought it. He actually believed that. Sakura slapped her forehead in disbelief. She didn't know if she should be relieved or annoyed by his stupidity—or was it just extreme denseness? Whatever! She didn't even want to know.

"Nice to meet you again. Wait—wait—did you just say sister?" Naruto chirped quickly like he just found out something.

Gaara didn't know what Naruto was so excited about but he just nodded reluctantly. Maybe, he found out at last that the girl he claimed to be his sister was Naruto's own classmate.

"She can't be Temari," Naruto speculated, making the two siblings stare at him like he was insane.

Sakura wanted so badly to be angry with Naruto for being practically—totally—dense whenever she was with him. However, she was too shocked at his statement to be angry. She couldn't believe he thought of her as Temari.

Naruto inspected Sakura more closely as his gaze rested on her face. "It's unbelievable what you did to her. Why did you dye your hair pink and why are you wearing contacts? Still, even though you dyed your hair, you still look pretty—even prettier maybe."

She dyed… her hair? That was what came to Sakura's mind. She didn't dye her hair, but it was true that she was wearing contacts. She couldn't take this anymore. She needed to get out of here. But it seemed that Naruto did that himself as a favor for her.

Naruto glanced at his watch and gasped realizing the time. "Oh no—I'm going to be late! Sasuke-teme is going to kill me if I come to our meeting place late! I'll see you later, Gaara. Nice to see you again, Temari-senpai." Before any of them could say anything more, Naruto dashed down the hall (from which they came) towards the main entrance hall.

Sakura blinked as she watched Naruto's retreating figure. She didn't even sense her brother coming to stand beside her, his gaze on the same person her emerald orbs were locked onto. "So… I'm Temari-neechan now." Sakura murmured, perplexed.

Gaara kept silent as he walked towards the direction in which Naruto left, giving no reply to his sister. Sakura was able to snap herself out of her trance as she followed after her brother. She was starting to hate this day with a bloody passion… and more was in store for her.

* * *

Sakura was thankful that even though Gaara didn't trust her in going alone by herself, he still allowed her to. She didn't know if it was because he didn't want to stay with her all the time or they would just be thought of as a couple by other people—and that would definitely bring nightmares for the both of them. At least they agreed on something. Still, Gaara couldn't help but become a little worried about her running home by the time he left her alone.

Sakura strolled out of the vicinities of her school where there were different stands of things that people could see to. In her opinion, the festival looked like it was rushed during the last minute, seeing how crappy the stands looked like. It was very plain and commoner made. It didn't look like the festival was prepared by the richest school in Japan. _This place doesn't suit what I'm wearing._ Sakura commented crudely.

That wasn't the only thing that made her want to leave. She also couldn't help but flinch every now and then whenever she heard wolf-whistling and hooting coming from many directions of guys checking her out. _It would take time getting used to this again._

After a couple of minutes of walking around, Sakura decided to go off to a place where she and Hinata would usually go to get away from everyone—a very relaxing place. However, it seemed as though she wouldn't be able to get there without having some trouble.

Before she knew it, she had stopped in the middle of the crowd, staring wide-eyed at the person in front of her. The person she had her gaze pinned on also stopped a good distance away from Sakura and stared back at her owlishly. _Oh, no… not now of all times._

"Sakura…" Ino murmured in shock. She couldn't believe it. They met at long last after two years, but—at a time like this! It was just too unexpected. Immediately she ran towards Sakura and grabbed her shoulders, startling her. She shook her slightly, gripping onto her with a firmness that communicated her fear that the friend she had thought she'd lost would run away if she released her hold on her.

"What the hell is this? You disappear two years ago without a word and now you suddenly appear out of nowhere in a situation like this. Why didn't you tell me anything!" Ino hollered angrily, shaking Sakura's shoulders. Who could blame her? Her best friend left two years ago without a word and she suddenly shows up like this. She had every right to be angry!

Sakura was too shocked to speak. She didn't know why, but her voice just wouldn't come to her. It had been a really bad idea to dress up like the Haruno Sakura from two years ago because for one—her best friend would recognize her along with her other former friend, Watanabe Ami. Well, they _were_ enemies now. Still, she didn't know what to say. She didn't want Ino to know that it was her. No, she wasn't supposed to know that Sakura had been near her all along. She just couldn't.

Immediately resurfacing her cool façade, Sakura pried Ino's hands off her and stated coolly, "I'm sorry, you might have mistaken me for someone else. I don't know what relationship you might have had with this Sakura, but I can assure you—I'm not her."

She could only watch as Ino's furious expression abruptly changed into a confused and disappointed one. She looked utterly crestfallen but remained silent.

She didn't want to see Ino's face anymore or she might suddenly change her mind. She couldn't afford to let that happen. Brushing past Ino's shoulder, Sakura walked away from her without exchanging another word.

Ino turned around after a moment, gazing at Sakura's back carefully, watching her leave. "No… you're the Sakura I used to know."

* * *

She didn't notice that she passed by the infamous Uchiha Itachi without realizing it. Itachi became rather attracted to her as he turned around to glance at her direction as she brushed past him. He wasn't usually the kind of guy who gets attracted to any random girl, but this case was different. This time, his mind was telling him that this girl was rather familiar. He just couldn't point out who she was. Figuring out her identity would just amuse him even more.

Before she could further the distance between them, Itachi lowered his hand by her shoulders, earning the attractive young girl's attention. She turned around and faced him with a confused expression. Now, he was able to get a closer look at her. She was a very beautiful girl with soft and shiny cherry blossom tresses. Mesmerizing jade orbs. And a great body that was shown to its fullest by the clothes she was wearing. Now, he was definitely sure he met her before. His hand moved towards the girl's arm, holding it in place by his tight grip.

"Excuse me. Will you please let go of me?" She asked politely, but he couldn't help but notice the uneasiness threaded in her voice.

"My, my, what can a beautiful young girl like you be doing in this festival—dateless?" Itachi asked amused. He didn't release his hold on the girl's arm.

"Um… aren't you dateless as well, Uchiha-san?" The girl asked wryly. She mentally gasped when she realized what she had said. She wasn't suppose to know him. Not good.

"Oh, so you know me." He was becoming even more amused with this stranger even more.

She needed to cover it up—fast. "You're practically famous around Konoha and you're also a talk around the town. Of course I would know you."

"I see." He smirked. He loosened his grip on the girl's arm, releasing her from his tight grip.

The girl immediately backed away from him, her nervous obvious from her body posture. Her life just couldn't get any better. First, she met the best friend that she had left a year ago, and now, her fiancée's brother. Couldn't this day just end without her meeting any more people that she definitely didn't need or want to meet?

"I think I better leave you now, Uchiha-san. If I stay with you any longer, your fangirls might get the wrong idea." She turned around and left him without another word. Well, wasn't she a busy girl.

When she left, it was then that Itachi realized what she meant. His fangirls **were **already getting the wrong idea just from the whispers and gossips he was hearing. Oh well, that's that. Something was telling him that he would definitely meet that girl again soon. Maybe sooner than he expected.

* * *

He had been waiting for so long now—and Naruto still wasn't here. He cursed himself for always being on time. Now, he had to clean the place himself while his random fangirls kept bothering him telling him how **responsible **he was. What irritated him more was that some of his fangirls took pictures of him—squealing. It annoyed him to no end. They even kept praising his… uniform for the job. Tsunade was **kind** enough to give him an appropriate uniform for the job. A set of green uniform of a loose blouse and pants. He really looked like a pauper. She just loved torturing him.

A sigh escaped his lips. How long would this horrible day have to last? He had been counting how many girls had practically ogled over him for the past… three hours. Guess how many? There had been 50 of them. Yes, 50. Sometimes Sasuke was confused why he was so popular. He preferred his older brother taking the popularity when it came to girls. He liked the attention, but Sasuke didn't. It was too much for him. Sometimes he wished to have more privacy 'cause these days—he hardly has some.

"Oi, Sasuke!"

Sasuke stopped himself from picking up the plastic bottle on the floor and straightened himself up to look at Naruto running towards him—at long last.

"You're late." Sasuke stated frigidly, not bothering to listen to the blonde's excuse.

Naruto laughed nervously and muttered an apology. "Sorry, still I was only 10 minutes late."

"Doesn't matter."

Naruto picked up the plastic bottle on the floor that Sasuke left and threw it on the garbage bin a couple of feet away from them. It landed into the garbage bin perfectly. A perfect shot. "You should be thankful that I came and didn't stood you up. I could have just left you picking up the garbage for me while I spent time with Hinata-chan."

"Whatever," Sasuke said offhandedly.

The two kept picking the garbage in the area and putting them on the garbage bin when Naruto suddenly gasped remembering something.

Sasuke turned to him with an uninterested look on his face. "What now?"

"I just remembered. I saw a very pretty girl earlier." Naruto said enthusiastically.

Sasuke crocked an eyebrow. "A girl? Was that the reason you were late?"

"Stop changing the subject!" Naruto barked, pointing an accusing finger at his best friend/rival.

"Am I… interrupting something?" A timid voice asked that could only belong to one person.

Naruto whirled his head around and grinned at the person who spoke. "Hinata-chan!" he chirped happily.

"Uh? Of course not! I was just telling Sasuke about this new pretty girl that I saw. Don't worry Hinata-chan, she's not as pretty as you are." Naruto reassured her. He didn't want Hinata to get mad at him again. He didn't want them to have another stupid misunderstanding like the last time.

However, it seemed that what Naruto said didn't bother Hinata at all. She was actually interested in this new girl that Naruto was talking about. "A new girl?"

Sasuke cast one last glance between the two. "I'm leaving." He stated coolly. He put the garbage in his hand in the garbage bin and began walking away.

"Wait a second. You're not making me do this by myself." Naruto protested.

"Why not? That way, you two can spend time together. After all, that's what you want right?" Sasuke said wisely, making Naruto and Hinata blush at his words. "Besides, I'll only get in your way." With that said, he walked away, but he didn't walk away without hearing Naruto's final words.

"I owe you one, Teme." Naruto yelled, grinning after Sasuke's retreating figure.

"Hn," Sasuke sounded, but it was loud enough for Naruto to hear.

Hinata, who was still blushing from Sasuke's comment earlier looked at Naruto, feeling uneasy about them being alone with just the two of them. "Naruto-kun…"

This will be a very awkward moment for the both of them.

* * *

Finally! At long last—a place where no one would bother her. She could rest in peace now. She could relax without worrying about meeting another person she didn't need to see. She was just alone. A sigh escaped her lips, a sign of utter thankfulness that all the troubles during the day were almost over.

She walked closer towards the bridge's railing. From afar, her jade orbs stared at the setting sun, admiring its beauty. Watching nature did make her calm, and seeing the wonderful view before made her forget about all her worries.

* * *

He walked towards a familiar place he always went to when he wanted to be alone. Upon arriving, he expected the place to be deserted, but today, someone else had come there before him.

He frowned at the figure of the person occupying the bridge. He wasn't frowning because he was mad, irritated or anything of that sort. It didn't matter to him if there was someone else who had come here before him. He could still go to another place. Still, seeing another person—a girl no less, wearing a quite revealing kimono dress and was standing on the bridge railing while gazing at the setting sun made him frown at her for her strangeness. What the hell was she doing? She could easily fall in the water at that state. Was she that stupid?

She possessed the most mesmerizing jade orbs he has ever seen, and her cherry blossom hair made her even more beautiful and unique than others. Just by looking at her facial expression, she looked so much at peace just looking at the setting sun.

"Hey," he greeted, startling the girl as she whirled around to face him. However, in the process, she completely lost her balance and slipped from the railing, falling on the water below. He heard a slashing sound a split second after hearing the girl's scream. Yeah, standing on a bridge railing was definitely a stupid idea.

He walked closer to the railing and looked down below to see if she was fine. It was then that the girl resurfaced from the water, taking a deep breath from the lack of oxygen in her lungs.

After catching her breath, she stood up with the water just reaching her waist. The water wasn't deep anyway. She definitely wouldn't drown. She glared at Sasuke who was looking at her blankly. How dare he sneak up on her like that! "Why you…? Look what you did!" Sakura screamed angrily.

Sasuke merely raised an eyebrow in response to her glare. He wasn't amused at all. "It was your fault for standing on a bridge railing. You should know very well that you aren't supposed to stand on it. You're supposed to lean on a bridge railing, not perform a crazy stunt on it."

"I was relaxing—thank you very much!" Sakura shouted at him.

"Relaxing?" Sasuke frowned. "You call that relaxing?"

"As a matter of fact—I do." Sakura said firmly. When she merely heard silence, she took the time to get a good look at herself. Now that she was wet, all her mother's hard work to make her look beautiful for this special occasion to impress her fiancée was all for nothing. She was wet, cold, her clothing was a mess, and her hair was released from the neat bun it was in before (God only knew where those Japanese needles were now) and was now down, some freely falling down her face. Other strands of hair were stuck on her back because she was soaking wet from head to toe. Her hair was waist length, which just gave her more trouble.

"It's all your fault." Sakura whispered, but audible enough for Sasuke to hear.

Her gaze was focused on her own reflection on the water. But she also noticed his reflection, looking back at her from the water. She gasped and her eyes widened with surprise when upon looking up, she realized that Sasuke was in the water a few feet away from her. The water only went up to his knees as a sign that he wasn't in very far, but still—he got himself wet. She looked up his face when she noticed that he held out his hand in front of her. How did he get there so fast?

She was too shocked to make a move. Was Sasuke… helping her? How could that be? Her eyes widened as she felt a warm feeling inside her as she stared at his outstretched hand. She didn't know what to do. Should she take his hand or not? Her mind told her not to, but her hand started moving by itself. Slowly, she took his hand, taking note of the blank expression on his face. Still, his presence couldn't help but make her blush at his gentlemanly actions.

When their hands finally connected, he pulled her towards him, leading her out of the water. They stared at each other for a long while—too caught up in the own world that they could see by looking into each other's eyes. Jade orbs locked with obsidian ones. They hadn't moved for quite some time, and just kept staring at each other's eyes.

When he finally let go of her hands, she still couldn't say anything. There were too many things in her mind. All of them were about the man before her. Her heart was pounding just by looking at him. How could he possibly make her feel this way? With just one gentlemanly act from him and she was already feeling warm inside. _Don't tell me…_

She blinked as she saw his hand reach up to touch her face. When his hand connected with her face, shivers ran across her spine. Slowly, he tucked a loose wet strand of her hair behind her ear.

_No… this can't be…_

She blushed as he touched her face. However, it didn't last long as she suddenly sneezed, breaking the tension between them. By instinct, she brought hand to her nose and started rubbing the bridge of it. She broke eye contact with him and averted her gaze towards the image of her own reflection she could see on the water.

He pulled his hand away from her face; making Sakura look up at him again feeling a bit disappointed inside. He took off his coat and threw it on Sakura's head, startling her a bit and hiding her vision of him by the jacket he threw on her.

"Huh…?"

"You'll catch a cold that way. My jacket's a bit dirty, but at least it can keep you warm." He said as he turned away, tucking his hand into his pant pocket.

Sakura blushed as she slowly touched the jacket that he threw on her head. She looked up at him as she draped the jacket around her shoulders, using it to try and warm herself up. Her jade orbs softened as she stared at him warmly. This just couldn't be happening. Still, she couldn't do anything to stop it.

Just by the way he was looking at her, even through his face still held that blank expression, his actions were enough to make her think differently about him. Now, she couldn't help but feel some respect for him. No—it was more than that. Was she actually falling for him? Was she falling for Uchiha Sasuke? Could it really be that easy? No, it couldn't be.

Her expression softened as they stared at each other. A small smile tugged at her lips as she murmured softly.

"Thank you."

It was the start of the change in their relationship.

**_TBC_**

**

* * *

A/N: **I love it! Oh my gawd! For me, it was very sweet. It's not as fluffy as how other fics are but that's just the way I am. I like to take my time—developing relationships. I hope you like it as much as I do. Most of all, I hope that didn't disappoint you. Next chapter will definitely be exciting. There's going to be ItaSaku. What's going to happen? You'll see. Try to see if you understand the preview.

**EDIT:** Fixed some of the reactions that were too exaggerated for my tastes, but the over all chapter is still the same.

**

* * *

Chapter 9 ―Second Bet**

Itachi closed his eyes and gave a conspicuous smirk that unknowingly made Sakura quiver in nervousness. He walked towards her, and stopped when he was now right beside her small frame. Sakura's sea foam orbs trailed his figure as he got closer and her head turned slightly to the side, now staring at him carefully when he was right beside her.

He leaned down, bringing his lips close to her ear. Sakura merely stood there in shock unable to move any of her muscles. She felt his warm breath caressing her ear. She could have sworn that she felt his smirk grew. She stared owlishly at the concrete floor, arguing with herself whether she should move or not.

_What am I doing—in this awkward situation? Why don't I move? Move damn it—move!_

She wasn't able to comply with her mind's wishes when her body seemed to have a mind of its own. She merely stood there as Itachi whispered huskily in her ear, his breath tickling it as he spoke.

**

* * *

Updated: **June 1, 2006


	9. Second Bet

**Engagement On Hold**

**Summary:** (AU) Uchiha Sasuke is Konoha High's reigning prince. Haruno Sakura is…? Who is she again? What happens when the guy everybody knows finds himself engaged to the girl nobody knows?

**Genre: **Romance/Humor/Drama

**Pairings:** Sasuke/Sakura, Naruto/Hinata, Itachi/Sakura (What's wrong with me? I don't really know.)

**Author: **pei-chan

**Beta-reader:** Ruru Kitsuneko

**Disclaimer:** Wouldn't it be nice if Sasuke and Sakura were really engaged in the Naruto series? Then again, that would only occur in our dreams… ne?

**A/N:** Well, I promised to update during July right. I didn't say the specific date, but hey, it is July isn't it. I wouldn't want to spoil you, so if you want to know who won the contest and find out the right answer, just scroll down to the very end.

**EDIT: Many readers have asked me for the picture, and I sincerely apologize for not going my job and sending it to you. I finally found the picture online and the link can be found in my profile page.**

**

* * *

Chapter 9―Second Bet**

_A small and warm smile appeared on her lips as she murmured softly._

"_Thank you."_

Slowly, he opened his eyelids and squinted his onyx orbs, trying to get used to the light. He brought his hand up and placed the back of it on his forehead. He sighed softly. Why the hell did he dream about that of all things?

Frowning, he sat up on his bed, thinking about the girl he met during the festival. He had to admit that she was pretty and attractive. Unlike all the other girls he met, she was the most mysterious of them all. Yes, she was quite a mysterious person indeed.

He couldn't deny that when he first laid eyes on her, he had flushed at the sight of her. Her kimono was both revealing and elegant at the same time. He could even picture an image of her when her whole body became wet. Her clothes were stuck on her body, outlining and revealing all the hidden curves her body possessed.

He couldn't help but flush at the not-so innocent thought, as he slapped his forehead in an effort to swat the image out. That was enough thinking. He needed to get ready for school and thoughts like those were just going to distract him. Getting out of bed, he promptly got himself ready for school.

However, it seemed that he still kept on thinking about the mysterious girl even as he got to school.

* * *

"Going to school already, dear brother?"

Slowly, the said brother turned to face the owner of that annoying voice—his older brother—with a glare on his handsome features. "That's none of you damn business," he replied in a low voice.

Itachi shrugged. "It's just that I'm really proud of my punctual brother. You're a real great role model." He snickered, irritating his younger brother.

Sasuke's temple twitched in irritation. He knew what his older brother was up to and he wasn't falling for it. "What do you want, Itachi?" Sasuke growled.

"Whatever are you talking about, dearest brother?" Itachi smirked as he saw Sasuke cringe when he heard the word 'dearest'.

"That's it! I'm out of here." Growling, Sasuke turned around and made his way to the front door when Itachi's voice stopped him dead in his tracks with his next words.

"How was your garbage collecting duties? Did you have fun at the sight of the female population blushing, giggling, and—oh, that's right—drooling at the sight of you?" Itachi paused as he waited for his younger brother to turn towards him before continuing, even though Sasuke merely gave him piercing glare.

At that moment, Sasuke really wished that glares could kill, because he definitely wanted to pierce a hole through Itachi's body. He wanted to do something that would bring pain towards his so-called brother Itachi, but all he could actually do was glare at him.

"I must say, you really have quite a unique charm that attracts the ladies even if you were dressed as a foul-smelling garbage collector." Itachi gave Sasuke a maddeningly amused smile.

"Hn," Sasuke grunted with great irritation.

"Too bad I came to the festival and stole some of your fangirls," Itachi remarked casually, watching Sasuke out of the corner of his eye.

"Go ahead. I'm not stopping you," Sasuke replied flatly. "It's even better that you were there. That way I have fewer girls to **glare at** and you have more girls to **flirt with**. I'm happy and you're happy. We're both happy." He didn't sound happy when he said that though.

"Honestly my dear little brother, I can't believe you would be so vile—with the ladies no less," Itachi tsked.

"Hn, like I care," Sasuke snarled.

"Too bad. I even met this pretty girl during the school festival. Problem was though… she doesn't seem to go to Konoha. I wonder who the person who brought her was… and where she's from…" Itachi stated out loud without bothering to look at his younger brother straight in the eye.

"And why do you think I would care about a random girl that you met during the school festival?" Sasuke frowned.

"Because this specific girl was someone… who I saw with you below the bridge, drenched wet." Sasuke's onyx orbs widened as he speared a glance at his older brother who was—obviously—smirking.

"I wonder… what have the two of you been doing?" Itachi asked, his smirk becoming more conspicuous than before.

Sasuke immediately looked away, blushing slightly, which wasn't left unnoticed by Itachi. "I don't know what you're talking about."

"Sasuke, I know you definitely know what I'm talking about," Itachi chuckled. "Don't worry; I was the only one who saw your romantic moment under the setting sun together," Itachi continued, chuckling along the way. _Not really_, he added mentally.

Sasuke blushed at the comment. How did he know that? "You were spying on me now!" Sasuke turned back to his older brother with yet another piercing glare.

"No, no, don't get me wrong. I was merely following the lovely lady—curious to where she was headed. I planned to talk to her, but you beat me to it. I must say… I never knew you had it in you." Itachi gave an amused smile. "And here I thought that those rumors about you being gay were true. I must say that you proved me wrong—which is a great relief, by the way."

Sasuke growled and balled his hands into fists. "You bastard!" He stomped towards his older brother and grabbed his collar forcefully. "I'm going to kill you, Itachi!"

"Now, now, no need to be violent." Itachi said calmly, not caring about the fact that his younger brother's fist was enclosed around the collar of his shirt, while glaring at him with pure murderous anger. "Tell me, what do you think of her?"

Sasuke was taken aback by Itachi's unexpected question. His grip loosened on Itachi's collar, but he still retained his hold on his shirt. "What?" he frowned.

"What do you think of her?" he repeated.

Sasuke became silent. What did he think of her? He… didn't know. But… still… he wanted… _I want to see her_. Letting go of Itachi's collar and dropping his hand back to his side, he turned around and walked away. He didn't want to have this conversation. Most importantly… now that it's about a girl, he didn't want to continue the conversation any further.

"So, do you want to see her?" Itachi asked slyly with a smirk on his features.

Sasuke stopped dead in his tracks once more. He stared at the marble floor wide-eyed. How could his brother… read him so easily? No matter, he still needed to get out of this mess—fast!

"Shut up! Like hell I would care about some random girl I just met!" Sasuke retorted at his brother without bothering to turn around to face him. After snapping at Itachi, Sasuke stormed out of the mansion, not wanting to hear any more of Itachi's insinuating comments. The door slammed shut loudly, making Itachi wince slightly at the impact of the sound.

"Dear little brother, you are so in denial. You're such a stubborn fool." Itachi chuckled with great amusement as he fixed his gaze at the door where Sasuke just stormed out of. Truth is, he also wanted to know who the mystery girl was. His curiousity was getting the better of him. Actually, was there even anything else?

* * *

"WHAT!"

"Now, now, calm down, Sakura," Temari said, laughing nervously.

"Calm down! How could I possibly calm down? She was just playing me for a fool!" Sakura growled ferociously. She spun around to say to her mother, "You paid the school just to create that last minute festival!"

_So that's why it sucked,_ Temari commented dryly in her mind.

"You just wanted to dress me up as a girl—didn't you!" Sakura pointed her index finger towards her mother, Sumire, accusingly.

"Maybe," Sumire drawled, smiling slyly. "If you weren't so stubborn about dressing up like a real lady for your fiancée, then I wouldn't have had to go through such drastic measures."

Sakura growled once more, glaring holes at her mother's figure, which Sumire ignored easily. Being a mother sure has its good points.

"Hm, so… did you attract many handsome men during the festival?" Sumire smirked, quite delighted inside.

Sakura balled her hands into fists and growled more viciously than before.

_Mother, you are just making things worse,_ Temari sighed, deciding to stay in the side lines. She didn't want to get mixed up in this.

"STOP CHANGING THE SUBJECT—DAMMIT!" Sakura screamed at the top of her lungs, her voice echoing throughout the entire room… and maybe, even the whole mansion.

* * *

"Was that Sakura that just screamed?" Kankuro asked his younger brother who was beside him. They were both sitting on the couch, watching television.

Gaara merely nodded without saying a word.

"I **so** do not want to get mixed up there," Kankuro stated selfishly, cringing at the thought of the things that would happen to him if he were to—try and get mixed up in a… woman's affair.

"Women are such complex creatures," Gaara stated dryly.

"Tell me about it," Kankuro grumbled as he ran his hand through his hair.

* * *

"Well, did you?" Sumire asked again, a small giggle escaping her lips, while completely ignoring Sakura's previous outburst.

"…" Sakura looked away from her mother and stubbornly kept silent. Both Sumire and Sakura had a staring contest. Sakura was glaring holes at her mother, while Sumire calm, questioning stare utterly dismissed her daughter's violent nature and then proceeded to blowtorch Sakura's already on-the-verge-of-exploding temper and smiled—which obviously irritated Sakura even more.

Temari watched her stepmother and stepsister's staring contest with a sweatdrop forming on her forehead. Suddenly, she shuddered unconsciously. _Is it just me… or is staying here making me feel weird? I'm even imagining shards of icicles blowing in the wind,_ Temari shook her head, trying to snap herself out of the chilly trance. _Why am I still here again?_ she thought offhandedly._ Oh yeah, because I needed to stay here just in case Sakura decides to flee, _she sighed.

"Did they drool at the sight of you and tried peering through your clothes because of how _sexy_ you looked?" Sumire asked innocently, breaking the already charged silence.

Sakura was taken aback by what her mother said and blushed—whether in fury or embarrassment it wasn't easy to tell—at the question, though her words settled that emotional anomaly. "Mother!" she exclaimed, her cheeks flushing in embarrassment. "Stop that!" she snapped.

"Sakura, I suggest you do what Mother says," Temari whispered quietly as she leaned towards her stepsister's ear.

Sumire smirked. No, she didn't hear what Temari whispered to Sakura. She wasn't concerned about that at the moment. She had another thought in mind. "Sakura dear, I suggest you answer the question instead of cursing your own mother…" Suddenly, Sumire's lips quirked into a dark and sly smile that sent shivers of dread running along Sakura's spine. Utterly nervous now, she gulped uneasily. "… Or else I'll make you dress up like a real lady for the rest of your precious school life whether you like it or not" ―Sumire's threatening tone abruptly and freakily changed into a sweet and innocent voice― "would you like that to happen, Sakura dear?"

Sakura quickly shook her head in fear.

"Good," Sumire smiled. "Now, tell me."

Sadly, Sakura had to tell her mother the details of what had happened during the festival. She tried her best to ignore her mother's squeals of delight as she finished through her story. Sakura decided to leave, while Temari frowned at the details that her stepsister informed her about—albeit unwillingly and under duress.

_Disgusting. Men are really—disgusting and perverted creatures,_ Temari thought brusquely.

"Oh, but then, how about your fiancée?" Sumire asked excitedly. "Did you meet him?"

Sakura didn't get into the little intimate details—correction, she didn't say anything about meeting any of the Uchiha brothers. Whether she was too uncomfortable to say anything about it, or she just didn't want to. She inwardly flinched when she heard her mother's question.

She slid her gaze towards Temari who was beside her from the corner of her eye. Temari looked at her when she felt her stepsister's gaze on her. Sakura emerald gaze at Temari's direction was wordlessly imploring, 'Help me.'

Glancing at the grandfather clock located beside them, Temari was immediately able to come up with a plan. _Well, here goes._ "Mother, we have to go or we'll be late for school," Temari interrupted.

Sumire merely shrugged uncaringly. "Oh don't worry, it'll be fine. It's just—"

"Mother," Temari reminded in a reprimanding tone.

"Fine, fine, go ahead," Sumire sighed, waving her hand for them to go. "We'll talk about this later."

With that said, Sakura gladly ran out of the door, relieved to be out of the awkward situation. Temari walked behind her, following after her swiftly running figure.

* * *

The two siblings walked towards their school. It seemed that Gaara and Kankuro had already left without them, not bothering to wait any longer. It didn't really matter. The four of them didn't really go to school together. They mostly pretended **not** to know each other in school grounds for reasons unknown—it probably had to do with the fact that no one would actually believe they were related anyway.

"Why didn't you want to tell mother if you had any sort of encounter with your fiancée during the festival? Wait… **did** you even have a fateful encounter with each other?" Temari asked her as the two of them walked towards school.

Sakura remained silent for a while, but nodded reluctantly about a minute afterwards. "I did meet him," she replied with a faint blush on her cheeks.

"So, how was it?" Temari asked with avid curiosity. Her gaze was fixed on Sakura's face, waiting patiently and a little desperately for the answer.

Sakura lapsed into silence once more. She lowered her head, casting her features in shadow and effectively hiding any expression from Temari's view. Clutching her shoulder back more tightly than before, Sakura came to a halt, making Temari stop walking as well a few feet ahead of her.

Temari blinked at Sakura's figure, trying to figure out what was going on. Will she tell her or not?

Slowly, Sakura lifted her head up to look at her step sister once more. This time, there was a sly smile on her lips. Bringing her hand to her mouth, she placed her index finger on her mouth and winked, earning her a cute image of a little girl.

"It's a secret, that's why." Sakura giggled and smiled.

* * *

The two siblings immediately parted as they both arrived at the school grounds of Konoha with a little time to spare before the bell rang to signal the start of classes. Walking towards the school campus alone, Sakura attempted to use that alone time to relax and enjoy her natural surroundings—she was kind of a nature girl. She felt that she ought to relax as much as she could, since she had a feeling that something would definitely be happening once she entered through the doors of Konoha High. Yes, another day—another pain in the ass.

"Oi, Gaara!"

The said catatonic Sabaku turned around to face the same person who usually called to him every single day. He knew who it was. There was only one person who would take the time to bother him every single day, even though Gaara merely gave him the same catatonic gaze every time they ran into each other. It was him.

He shifted his gaze towards the spiky blonde hyperactive boy running towards him with the same grin plastered on his face. Oh great. What does he want now? Actually, what could he possibly want from him anyway… that… Uzumaki Naruto.

Gaara merely gave him a blank stare.

"You know, you should come and eat with us at lunch. I always see you sitting alone." Naruto said.

Gaara continued to stare at him blankly like he didn't hear a single word that Naruto just said… or maybe, he just didn't care. _I wouldn't want to sit with loud mouths._ Yeah, he didn't care.

"Aren't you lonely?" Naruto asked.

_Not really,_ Gaara replied to himself. _I prefer being alone._ He didn't want to answer, thinking—hoping that the blonde boy would finally leave him alone for good if he did. Frankly, he had been doing that for months now and it still didn't work. _If he's not going to stop bothering me, then there's only one thing left to do._ With that thought in mind, Gaara brushed past Naruto and walked away from him, leaving him standing there blinking in confusion because of his unexpected action.

Gaara continued to walk away, satisfied that he was finally alone… that was until he heard the sound of running footsteps coming up from behind him._ So much for being alone, _he sighed to himself.

"Ah—wait! Gaara!" Naruto called out from behind. "I want to tell you something."

"Not interested," Gaara replied bluntly and nonchalantly.

Naruto's shoulders slumped down and a pout came to his lips as he finally caught up with the emotionless and rather annoyed Gaara. "But—it's something rather important!"

This was the last straw. He didn't care. No, he didn't care one bit at whatever it was the blonde boy wanted to tell him. Whether it was a deep dark secret of some crap like that—he didn't give a damn. He just wanted to be alone. Couldn't he just understand that? Did he actually have to _say_ something in order to get some peace?

Gaara was about to tell Naruto off when a female voice interrupted them and called.

"Gaara."

The said annoyed Sabaku and even the baffled Naruto turned around to see a golden blonde girl with her hair tied in a set of four pigtails on the sides of her head and the nape of her neck with a blank expression on her face.

"Temari," Gaara greeted.

Temari's temple twitched at her little brother's form of address. If she had any doubts as to his respect of lack thereof, there was none now. "That's Temari-_nee_chan to you!" she hissed with her fists clenched.

"Since when did I ever call you that… and since when did you start caring," Gaara stated coolly like the matter was nothing to him—which was true anyway, so it was a moot point, really.

Temari was taken aback by her younger brother's reply. Yeah, he was right. He never **did **call her '_nee_chan' before―just Temari. She didn't really mind all those other times… so why start now.

Not knowing what to say, Temari averted her dark green gaze away from them and turned to look at nothing in particular, as she scowled inwardly.

"Temari-senpai!" an enthusiastic voice chirped, making Temari turn back to face a grinning Naruto.

Somehow, Temari felt a bit nervous at the look she was being given by the young blonde boy. "Naruto-san," she greeted back.

"You dyed your hair back again," Naruto said, disappointment evident in his voice.

"What?" Temari frowned in confusion.

"You should know."

"What are you talking about?" Temari asked, getting irritated. She was getting more and more confused with each word that came out of Naruto's mouth.

"You looked very pretty during yesterday's festival." Naruto grinned ignorantly.

Temari became even more confused now. What was he talking about? "Huh? But… I didn't go to the festival," she replied, shaking her head slightly, her expression still baffled. _It was too boring for my taste_, Temari silently added.

"Yeah you did. You even dyed your hair a pretty shade of Cherry Blossom that matched your kimono!" Naruto chirped enthusiastically.

How dare he? Pink? She dyed her hair pink? There was no way **that **was going to happen! She was fine with her own hair color—thank you very much! She wouldn't even give a damn about going to that **stupid** festival that had only been arranged because of their mother's big ego. She always wanted to be on top. _That insane woman._

"You know, Temari-senpai, you looked so much better with your hair dyed. You should dress like that more often. That way, guys wouldn't think of you as a tomboy." Naruto chuckled.

Her hands reflexively balled into fists, and she gave a low and furious growl. He just crossed the line. Now, she was going to make him pay—real bad. "What did you just say…?" Temari asked in a low tone, her teeth gritted in suppressed anger.

"Eh?" Naruto blinked. He then realized his mistake when he saw her fearsome facial expression. She had a murderous glare that made him cringe.

Her fists throbbed as she growled viciously. She brought back her right fist to deliver a powerful punch right at Naruto's face. "That's it! How dare you! You—"

She suddenly gasped as a hand tightened on wrist before she could deliver the fateful punch. Temari's owlish gaze trailed towards the person who stopped her until it rested on her younger brother's expressionless gaze.

"Gaara…?" Temari murmured staring at him with the same shocked expression as before.

"Naruto… I suggest you go. That is… if you still want to live with your bones intact," Gaara said bluntly, looking back at Temari blankly.

Naruto nodded nervously and quickly walked away in the opposite direction from them. He didn't want to spent another minute in close proximity with them. Temari was too scary at the moment. She might just do what Gaara was assuming. He pushed unnecessary buttons that eventually got Temari ticked off.

From what he remembered, Gaara said that it was his sister that Naruto saw during the festival. He assumed that it was Temari even though Gaara told him that his sister wasn't from around Konoha. Ah! He was just confusing himself.

_Judging from Temari-senpai's reaction, I guess she's not the mysterious girl during the festival. If that wasn't her… then who was she…?_

* * *

Sensing that Naruto was completely gone, Gaara released his grip on Temari's wrist, letting their arms fall down to their sides.

"What was that about?" Temari snapped, as she sent her younger brother a peircing glare.

"You shouldn't do that," he replied calmly, keeping his inscrutable gaze towards her.

Temari snorted. "Why shouldn't I? He insulted me—twice!" A growl escaped her lips. "Pink? He said _my_ hair color was **pink**! He even had the guts to call me a tomboy!"

"You shouldn't be so mad at him."

Temari sent another glare in Gaara's direction, which he dismissed easily. "And why not? H e―"

"Actually, I was the one who told him that," Gaara said bluntly.

"What? You told him my hair color was pink?" Temari frowned in disbelief.

"No. I came here with Sakura because of that school festival. To be frank, nobody recognized her… not even Naruto. He even thought that she was my… girlfriend. Eventually, I told him that she was my sister. Knowing only you as my sister, he immediately assumed that you were Sakura," Gaara explained nonchalantly.

Temari merely stood there in silence looking at him in utter shock. She still couldn't get over it, could she?

"So, aren't you going to pound on me now? I thought you wanted to vent your anger out on somebody. I'm the one who you should pound on," Gaara said imperturbably.

Suddenly, Temari turned around and walked away from Gaara without inflicting any pain or damage to his body.

Gaara merely stared at her retreating back in silence; however, he saw her figure quivering. _She must still be angry._

"Aren't you forgetting something?" Gaara asked, stopping her in her tracks.

Temari seemed to take a deep breath before continuing to walk away, not even bothering to give Gaara the reply he wanted.

"So, does that mean you forgive me? Wow, I'm touched." He didn't sound very touched though, since his tone was quite unemotional. Ice-faced bastard. That tone wouldn't be able to convince anybody even if his tone turned sweet and touching.

Temari whirled around and gave him a glare. "Think again. I'm furious at you and Sakura. Don't think you're getting off **that **easily." With that said, she turned around once more and stomped towards her homeroom class. In fact, she was stomping quite loudly that it echoed throughout the hallway.

As Gaara watched his sister's retreating back, a small uncharacteristic smirk slowly appeared on his lips. _It's not that you don't want to hit me… it's because you _**can't**_ hit me, can you… Temari-_**nee**_chan._

* * *

She took a deep breath and closed her eyes, savoring the peaceful scent and sweet sounds of nature. She opened her eyes only to blink in confision as she saw a familiar raven-haired man leaning on the bridge, watching his own reflection on the water below. His raven locks were tied back into a ponytail that hung loose on his back. He seemed to be deep in thought.

"Itachi-san," Sakura frowned. _What is he doing here?_

The said Uchiha turned to face her with an inscrutable expression that showed the full extent of his handsome features. He straightened and gave her an amused look. "Ah, if it isn't my dear brother's fiancée," he replied offhandedly as he trailed his onyx orbs from the shoes she was wearing towards her black-clothed legs. His gaze continued to slowly trail upwards to inspect her pleated lavender skirt, her white-buttoned blouse before it finally rested on her face. She blinked nervously at him through her thick glasses as he tilted her head to the side, making the loose strands of her hair not twined in the haphazard Chinese double bun follow her head's actions.

"What are you doing here?" Sakura asked, frowning with mild curiosity.

"Being in the Academy (University) has its good points," Itachi replied, giving a small smile—or rather—a small smirk.

"So I've heard. You don't have classes today, do you?" Sakura asked, crooking an eyebrow in his direction.

"I don't," he stated baldly.

"Then—"

"I'm… on a mission," Itachi interrupted Sakura from uttering the rest of her sentence… or was it a question?

Sakura blinked and frowned in utter confusion. "Mission? What kind of mission?" Uchiha Itachi sure was a very complicated guy. He spoke in bits and pieces that left you hanging, just for his pleasure of watching the person struggle to make heads or tails of what he had said.

"I'm here to search for… someone," Itachi said with cool nonchalance.

_Someone?_ Sakura became even more curious of his intentions even more. "Why?"

Itachi closed his eyes and gave a conspicuous smirk that unknowingly made Sakura quiver in nervousness. He walked towards her, and stopped when he was right beside her small frame. Sakura's leafy orbs trailed over his figure as he got closer and her head turned slightly to the side, now staring at him carefully when he reached her side.

He leaned down, bringing his lips close to her ear. Sakura merely stood there in shock unable to move a muscle. She felt his warm breath caressing her ear. She could have sworn that she felt his smirk grow more pronounced. She stared wide-eyed at the concrete floor, arguing with herself whether she should move or not.

_What am I doing—in this awkward situation? Why don't I move? Move damn it—move!_

She wasn't able to comply with her mind's wishes when her body seemed to have a mind of its own. She merely stood there as Itachi whispered huskily in her ear, his breath tickling it as he spoke.

"You're going to be late for school… so how about I tell you later. Meet me behind the school after the last bell rings… that is… **if** you're interested."

That was the last thing that Sakura ever heard him say as he straightened himself up and walked away, but not before brushing his arm against hers along the way. This was what took Sakura out of her trance as she slowly turned around, staring at his retreating back.

Giving him one last glance, Sakura turned around and ran up the stairs leading to the school's front doorway. She opened the door and ran inside, rushing towards her class so that she wouldn't be late—and to escape from the lingering presence Itachi had left around her.

Itachi paused on his way towards the Academy grounds as he heard the sound of the door being slammed shut. He turned around, transferring his gaze towards the door that led inside of Konoha High. His calm façade soon faded as a sly smirk grazed his lips.

"It seems that I've already found the person I'm looking for," he chuckled softly. "I can't wait to see the look on her face when I tell her." His smirk grew wider at the thought of their upcoming meeting.

He couldn't be sure she would even bother meeting him after school; however, he already did something that would ensure her meeting him later. _She'll definitely come._

* * *

"Where is she?" Hyuuga Hinata sighed as she looked around the cafeteria for any sign of her best friend. It was already lunchtime. Sakura told her to go on ahead and that she would catch up later. _Yeah, 20 minutes ago,_ she thought wryly.

Hinata stood up and walked out of the cafeteria, trying to find her best friend… wherever she was. She walked down the hall, tyring to register in her mind any place where Sakura could be. "Where is she?" she murmured, scanning the area with her pearl colored orbs.

_If she's not here, then she should be…_ Hinata thought, her eyes focused on the floor. It was then that it hit her. She knew where she was. It was at** that** place. She was sure. Sakura was at that place… where the two of them first met.

* * *

**_Flashback_**

She curled herself up into a ball in a corner, feeling it was the best way to comfort herself. She had always been teased and picked on because of her timidity. She didn't have the guts to defend or stand up for herself. She could only cry, fidget nervously and hide. Today was just the same. She was already in high school and still… she couldn't do anything to defend herself. She was still the same girl as before: the timid Hyuuga Hinata that would rather stay in the background.

Being teased yet again, her only source of comfort was a place where she could be alone and reflect peacefully. At least here, she wouldn't be bothered by anyone. It was quite depressing that even her cousin didn't think too highly of her. He always said that he expected more of a Hyuuga… just like what her father always said—even if she was still in the room. Being a Hyuuga meant that it was their responsibility to be the top of everything. To be known by everyone—respected by everyone. Hinata knew now how a great dissapointment she was.

She wasn't the top of the class; she was more of an average girl with average marks. She wasn't known by everyone. Actually, she wasn't really known or to be frank… noticed at all. She was always left in the sidelines, but she prefered it that way. She liked being an average student. How she could with a family of overachievers breathing down her neck she didn't know… She wasn't respected. In fact, contrary to the usual treatment of the Hyuugas, she was being teased and taunted constantly.

She hated herself. She wanted to be someone who could make her father proud… but she just didn't have the guts to do it. She didn't know if she was afraid or if she was just confused. Maybe she was confused… she didn't know.

She cocked her head to the side, stealing a glance at the students at the school grounds enjoying their lunch and having fun. And here she was contemplating about how much she wanted another life. Another chance—a change. Somehow, watching them having fun made her sad.

_I wish I could join them._

Suddenly, the sound of the door opening snapped Hinata out of her reverie. She immediately swung her gaze to the side where the door was located. She wanted to see the face of the person who came in. It was a girl like her; however, she didn't really fit the general description of a 'pretty' girl. Actually, she looked pretty… uh… yeah.

The foreign girl stretched her arms upward like she had just woken up from a deep sleep. "Ah, alone time at last…! Finally, some place where those snobs won't be bothering me," she said happily.

Hinata could only stare at her in owlish perplexity. Who was this person?

The said girl locked her hardly discernable sea foam orbs in her direction. The girl had hair a soft shade of cherry blossom pink, which was unflatteringly tied in two buns on either side of her head. She also had thick glasses that obscured her eyes as she continued to stare at Hinata. "Eh? I never knew someone was here."

The girl walked towards her, keeping her gaze locked on the timid Hinata. "What are you… doing here?" she asked curiously yet kindly.

Hinata merely kept silent, not knowing what to say.

Taking her silence as a reply, the girl approached her and plopped down to the ground next to her. "You don't mind do you?" she asked.

Somehow, Hinata was able to let the words slide from the tip of her tongue. "… No…"

The girl gave a sigh… of exhaustion maybe. "So, tell me: what are you doing in a place like this… isolated from everyone else?" she asked in the same kind tone.

Hinata merely lowered her head, staring at the concrete floor sadly. She didn't want to answer that.

The girl was looking at her from the corner of her sea foam orbs as Hinata lowered her head to the ground. She didn't want to tell her, huh? "Well, you know why I'm here?" she paused, waiting for a reply, which she didn't get. She just decided to continue the one-sided conversation. "Don't worry; you're not the only one who's being teased and taunted every single day."

Hinata swung her gaze towards her, staring at her in disbelief. Well, that sure got her attention. "Are you being… teased, too?" she asked shyly.

"I won't lie to you, but yeah, I do get teased a lot—everyday even." the girl laughed nervously.

"I see," Hinata said sympathetically.

The girl turned towards her and gave her a smile. "Hey, there's no need to be sad over me. I don't really care what those snobs do just to feel good about themselves. It's their life and I have mine. Why should a bunch of losers bring me down and control my life?" she snorted, "Never going to happen."

Hinata couldn't believe this girl. Somehow she felt a bit jealous of her. Even with all the adversity she's been through, she still had a positive mind and wasn't letting it get her down. She wanted to be like her.

"See there," the girl pointed down to where Hinata was looking before. She pointed her index finger towards the school grounds below. She gave a devilish giggle. "Right now, just looking at them down there, don't you think they look like a bunch of small ants to you?"

Hinata blinked and looked at the school grounds where random students were walking around. She couldn't help but admit that, they did indeed look like a bunch of ants. With this thought in mind, Hinata couldn't help but giggle a bit.

The girl smiled as she heard her giggle. "When I go here with a problem on my mind, I just look down and watch them walk around the school grounds," she said, swinging her gaze back at the grounds near the bottom of the building. "It comes to my mind that at least when I'm here, I feel more superior to those people down there. I feel like I can step on them if I wanted to." She laughed a bit and scratched her head sheepishly. "But that would be quite a sadistic thought, now wouldn't it?" she laughed softly. "Even if it's a mean way for me to feel good about myself, it helps me get through the day."

Hinata's pearl like orbs widened in shock. Those words… meant a lot to her. Somehow, she understood what they meant. This girl knew what she was worried about… and actually tried to cheer her up. Even coming from a stranger, she felt really connected with this person.

"Um… I'm sorry."

The girl turned towards her and blinked in confusion. "Huh?"

"Anou… my name's Hinata—Hyuuga Hinata," she said nervously, even though she felt, that with this girl, there wouldn't be any reason to be. "I haven't introduced myself yet… I'm sorry," she apologized again.

The girl merely giggled and smiled, "You don't need to apologize. There's nothing to apologize for. I haven't introduced myself either. Me—my name's Haruno Sakura." She gave a comforting smile at her direction, "Nice to meet you, Hinata-chan."

**_End of Flashback_**

* * *

She opened the door that led to the rooftop. With the bright afternoon sunlight illuminating and blinding her, she winced and brought her the back of her hand to cover her face in reflex. She walked further in the rooftop, while allowing her lavender orbs to adjust themselves to the bright light. Her eyes trailed across the area, trying to find the person she was looking for. And there she was…

Her lavender orbs became focused on the figure leaning on the rooftop's railing before her with her arms crossed. Her sea foam orbs were looking at the ground below just like she used to when they first met.

She decided to approach her carefully. "Sakura… chan?"

Responding to her call, the said girl slowly averted her gaze from looking at the solid ground at least 50 feet or more below her. "Hinata? What are you doing here?" she asked.

Hinata continued to walk towards her and stopped when she was just right beside her. She lifted her hand that held a bento box. "I brought us lunch, but you stood me up at the cafeteria," Hinata sighed.

Sakura laughed nervously. "I'm sorry. I was kinda preoccupied."

"Did something happen?" Hinata asked anxiously. She began to untie the knot of the bento box.

"Oh, the usual," Sakura lied. Not really. It was much worse than the usual. She had just heard rumors going on that she was her brother's girlfriend—Gaara's girlfriend. Not only that, but the other girls were talking about her being the infamous Uchiha Itachi's girlfriend. That just made things worse.

A huge problem… A _very_ huge problem! Not good. Definitely not good at all! It was bad enough hearing the rumor about her and Gaara being together, but hearing a rumor about her being hooked up with Uchiha Itachi was just too much for her to handle. Too much stress.

_It's mother's fault. If she didn't force me to dress up like a—girl—then none of this would have happened. Now, everyone thinks that I'm a slut… even though they don't know that the person that they're referring to is me._ _Ugh, this is definitely not good,_ Sakura sighed.

She was snapped out of her thoughts when Hinata finally opened the bento box and revealed its contents. Everything looked very delicious—and healthy.

"Here you go," Hinata handed Sakura a pair of chopsticks.

Taking the chopsticks from her best friend's hands, she snapped it into two and chirped. "Itadakimasu!" She took a piece of meat and plopped it into her mouth enthusiastically.

"So, Sakura-chan, did you come here to think… about something?" Hinata asked as she ate a piece of sushi.

Sakura nodded. "Yeah. I'm just confused and I just came here to relax." She paused, her thoughts suddenly drifting away. Hinata merely looked at her best friend carefully in silence.

A minute later, Sakura spoke once more in a more cheerful manner. "So, how was your date?"

"Uh… um… it was fine." Hinata flushed as she heard the word 'date'.

Sakura gave off a sly smirk. "Hm, did something happen?"

Hinata nodded hotly as she managed to give off a small smile.

Sakura squealed in delight at her best friend's luck. "You did? How did it go?" she asked enthusiastically. _So, they kissed already. Ah, Hinata-chan, you're so lucky!_ She was happy for her best friend. Finally, her romantic life was going somewhere.

"We talked about food a lot, while we picked up garbage and cleaned the streets." Hinata's face gave way to a smile, remembering the things that had happened.

Sakura's shoulders slumped when she heard this. "Hinata… garbage picking…?" she asked in disbelief.

Hinata nodded meekly. "Why? Is something wrong with it?"

"Nothing…" Sakura sighed. How dense. She wouldn't exactly call talking about food and picking up garbage… romantic. So much for her best friend's romantic life going somewhere… A giggle came from Sakura's timid best friend making her snap out of her reverie.

"Even if we weren't spending time picking up garbage, I was really happy that we spent time together. That way, I was able to get to know him better. There's nothing more that I can ask for," Hinata said humbly.

Sakura sighed. Hinata could be such a saint at times, but that was what Sakura liked about her. Still, she wanted to do something for her. She wanted to bring them together… because it seemed like being with Uzumaki Naruto made Hinata extremely happy. But how could she do that though…

Her eyes trailed off until it rested on the bento box on Hinata's lap. Food? It was then that she found an answer to her problem. "Ne, Hinata, you said that you guys were talking about food? Why don't you make him some?"

"Eh?" Hinata blushed from shock.

"You know, make him lunch. You're a good cook anyway. Why don't you give it a try? I'm sure that because it came from you, he'll be more than happy to accept it." Sakura suggested, taking a bite of a sushi.

"But…" Hinata began to fidget nervously.

"I'm sure that because it came from you, he'll be more than happy to accept it," Sakura repeated patiently. "Don't worry about being rejected. Give it a try. You might like what happens." Sakura smiled. "Besides, he needs a new menu besides that ramen of his."

Hinata averted her gaze towards the bento box on her lap filled with food that she cooked herself. Why not? Maybe she will take that particular piece of advice.

* * *

This was it. She needed to get this matter cleared up—once and for all.

"_Meet me at the back of the school… that is… _**if** _you're interested."_

He sounded very suspicious already. Highly suspicious. Why would he want to tell her about it? What could he be planning? She walked outside the school, making her way to the back, to the place where he told her to meet him.

Somehow, at the back of her mind, she felt that it was him that spread those rumors. Heck, they just exchanged a few words during the festival and now, everyone thinks that they were together. Together…? The thought made her cringe.

At last she arrived at her destination. Her eyes became focused on the Uchiha peacefully lying on the grass with his onyx orbs unseen behind his closed eyes. She stopped just a couple of feet away from him.

"Took you long enough to get here," he stated in that gratingly annoying amused tone of his and that extremely unnerving smirk that—thank God—was left unnoticed by Sakura.

"What do you want?" Sakura asked firmly.

"Whatever are you talking about?" Itachi asked slyly.

"Don't play coy with me. You wanted me to come here didn't you? Now here I am," she stated sternly. "What do you want?"

"My, my, aren't we furious. Why don't you come and lie down beside me and relax under the bright afternoon sun for a minute?" Itachi suggested with his smirk still on his face. He closed his eyes as he tried to relax under the bright rays of the sun.

Sakura glared at Itachi's sleeping figure as she walked closer towards him. She stood just above him, growling in irritation at his relaxing figure. He was doing this on purpose―she just knew it! "I'm not here to play games, Itachi-san! What do you want me here for?"

Itachi opened one of his eyes and gazed at the glaring Sakura with convincing blankness in his expression. "Then… do pray tell—why do you seem mad at me, Sakura-san?"

Sakura was taken aback by his question. She gulped in nervousness. She couldn't just tell him that she was furious at him because of the rumors that spread about him and her being together. Besides, he didn't know that it was him and—"her" that the rumors were referring to. All the girls in the school said that, "The great Itachi-sama has a girlfriend that he met during the festival."

Nobody knew her name or where she came from. All they knew that there was a girl that got close to their 'precious' Itachi, and they'll definitely teach that girl a lesson when they find her. That is _if_ they do find her. Sakura would rather stay unknown for her own safety.

Sakura turned away from him, trying to avoid his intense gaze. "I'm… I'm not… mad at you."

"And here I am, giving you some very valuable information and you're already snapping at me," Itachi sighed.

"What kind of information are you telling me—exactly?" Sakura asked curiously, "And why do you think I would be interested in it."

Itachi raised a raven eyebrow playfully. "Shouldn't you know?"

"How should I know?"

"Well, you are the one curious about what I'm going to tell you. So, don't you at least have any idea—what it is?" Itachi asked coolly.

Sakura mentally glared at her future brother-in-law. How dare he! He was actually playing with her by stalling her. He was wasting time—and the worst case scenario was—he was enjoying it. And his very joy was making her really—really annoyed! Very annoyed! Furious even!

"Stand up, Itachi-san. Stop playing games with me and be serious," Sakura ordered sternly.

Itachi merely gave her a blank stare. "I like the view from down here," he stated coolly, his onyx orbs suddenly fixated on Sakura's covered legs.

"What?" Sakura flushed in embarrassment and shock as she took a step back. Was he… flirting with her? How can he be talking about something like that at a time like this! Honestly, this guy just has no shame.

"You know very well what I'm talking about, Sakura-san," Itachi smirked, apparently pleased with the situation or rather the reaction he got from the girl standing before him.

He was teasing her and she knew it. She didn't know what he was talking about—at all. She was confused, but that didn't matter. If he was merely going to tease her to no end and not just get to the point, then there was no point in lingering here any longer. "If all you're going to do is play games with me, Itachi-san—then I'm leaving." Sakura turned around and started to walk away.

Before she could get far though, a calloused hand grabbed her wrist and tugged it, forcing her down. She gasped at the unexpected action. The next thing she knew, she was lying on the soft grass below with Uchiha Itachi hovering above her lying figure. His hands braced on either side of her head, effectively pinning her inbetween, and not allowing her even a miniscule chance to escape. Amused onyx orbs met stunned sea foam ones.

"You can stop hiding from me, Sakura-san." Itachi then leaned his face closer to hers, making her gasp involuntarily. "I know very well that it was you. That pretty pink haired girl that I met during the festival," Itachi whispered slyly into her ear, making shivers run across her spine. His breath tickling her ear was just making things worse as it made her tenser than she was before. "I even saw you having a nice and sweet moment with my foolish little brother… in the water even."

"I… don't know… I don't know—what you're talking… about," Sakura denied in vain. She still kept on denying it even if it was futile. Even she wondered why. She knew that Itachi had already found her out, but somehow she didn't want to admit that the pretty girl that he met was indeed her. She didn't want anyone to know about her as that 'pretty girl' during the festival.

"Mysterious indeed," Itachi drawled, with his lips still in a smirk. He reached his hand out and stroked her flushed cheek.

Sakura could only stay silent as she kept her gaze on Itachi's onyx orbs like she was hypnotized by them. She didn't move as he continued to tease her cheek with his touch.

He abruptly stopped and withdrew his hand, content with the reaction that he received from the girl below him. "Are you still going to lie to me, Sakura-san?"

His words might have been the one that snapped her out of her trance. It was then that she got her voice back and was able to talk back to the smirking Uchiha before her. "I wasn't there at the festival. I stayed home. You're accusing me of something that I didn't do." She glared at him. She wouldn't admit it no matter how the odds were against her.

"Really now... Are you sure about that?" Itachi snickered as his onyx orbs gazed at her in seemingly perpetual amusement.

Sakura gulped at how he intently his gaze was towards her. It somehow gave her the creeps.

He reached his hand out towards her tied pink tresses and stroked it softly. Keeping his gaze on her, his hand reached towards the elastic that was keeping her hair into buns and slowly pulled it off, enjoying the friction that his hand made with the softness of her hair. As the elastic left her hair, the newly loosened pink tresses hung loosely around her face, showing the beauty of her unique hair color. The wind abruptly blew, dragging her pink tresses along the same direction that the wind was blowing to. For a while, the wind made her loose sight of the man who was hovering above her.

Tucking her hair behind her ear so that he could regain sight of her pale face, his hand unexpectantly and gracefully took hold of her thick lenses and pulled it away from her face. When there were no more glasses to shield her eyes away from his view, he saw shinning emerald orbs staring at him in shock. Her eyes seemed to reflect an aura of both knowledge and innocence in them, which sent a thrill to him.

Now, she looked exactly like girl that he met during the festival. However, this time, it seemed that her natural beauty was even more attractive than when her face was covered with artificial make-up, however expertly done. Her alabaster skin seemed much more silkier and smoother than before.

With a smirk he stated, "Let's make a bet… shall we? A bet that involves you and my foolish younger brother..."

Her shocked expression slowly changed as her eyebrows scrunched into a frown. She didn't speak. She didn't need to speak. Her facial expression spoke for her.

Carefully taking a thick strand of her pink tresses, he brought it to his lips and closed his eyes, inhaling the faint scent of cherry emanating from it. It was then that images of what he witnessed during the festival and his early encounter with his brother flashed in his mind. He knew now what he was supposed to do—what he could do. It wasn't for the benefit of his foolish-and-in-denial younger brother or for this young girl lying on the grass below him. It was for himself—for his own amusement.

Slowly, he leaned down towards her face again, making her gasp louder. In her mind, many thoughts ran through her head, but all of them seemed to be focusing on one thing. _No… is he going to kiss me? I—no! I don't… I don't want this to happen. No—I can't let this happen. I need to get out of here—now!_ However, her body seemed to have a mind of its own. She couldn't move a muscle. All she could do was stay still and wait for the man before her to do what he pleased. With one last resort, she immediately closed her eyes tightly, refusing to see whatever was going to happen next. If this was the only thing she could do so that she wouldn't witness her first kiss being stolen then… so be it. At least this way, she could **pretend** that nothing ever happened.

However it seemed as if that wasn't what he had in mind.

Missing her rosy and moist lips on purpose, his lips went even closer to her ear. She could even feel his warm breath tickling her ear, caressing it softly. She could feel the amusement in his onyx orbs, even if she couldn't see them, creating tension for both of them. His eerie silence was making the girl below him quiver like a arrow about to launch from a bow string while waiting on what he was going to do, even if her eyes were still tightly shut.

Bringing his face a little closer to her ear so that his lips almost touched them, he whispered:

"I know that it will only be a matter of time before you fall in love with him."

* * *

Unknown to the two of them, a pair of dark coal colored orbs watched the scene before him carefully, absorbing every tiny detail that he received from his eavesdropping. Feeling that he already heard enough, he turned around and walked away, leaving the two alone for more private time. With his hands tucked inside his pockets, a thought grazed his mind.

I see… so that's how it is.

_**TBC**_

**

* * *

A/N:** Wow, this chapter's really long! Yikes! I never wrote something this long before. It might even be the longest chapter in this fic… maybe not. Who knows. I tend to make my fics long. A bad habit of mine. I'm already in Chapter 9 and Sasuke and Sakura didn't even have an essential moment. Ugh, I'm hopeless. Anyways, I forgot to mention that this Chapter is a special treat for me not updating for quite a long time. I just wanted school to be over. Well, I hope this chapter had been worth the wait.

**

* * *

Chapter 10―New Student**

The blonde boy continued to snicker conspicuously even though he tried his best to hide it, which only succeeding in making Sasuke more irritated. "What are you snickering about, dobe?" Sasuke glared at the blonde boy.

But that only intimidated his best friend as his smirk grew wider and his snickering turned into a soft chuckle. It took a while before his chuckling subsided, now only having a smirk forming on his lips.

Getting extremely irritated and annoyed, Sasuke decided to do something that would end this pathetic conversation. He turned around and walked away without casting Naruto a second glance. His walked towards his seat, ignoring Naruto's piercing voice as he yelled at his retreating figure to stop.

"What was that I saw in the hall?" Naruto chuckled loudly. The whole class suddenly became silent as they heard some possible valuable information about the infamous Uchiha Sasuke. Everyone needed to know about his interests, his strengths, and his weaknesses. It was more on the lines that they needed to know everything that the younger Uchiha was doing. To be frank, he practically didn't have **any** privacy―at all.

Couldn't they just leave him alone?

**

* * *

**

**Updated: **July 8, 2006


	10. New Student

**Engagement On Hold**

**Summary:** (AU) Uchiha Sasuke is Konoha High's reigning prince. Haruno Sakura is…? Who is she again? What happens when the guy everybody knows finds himself engaged to the girl nobody knows?

**Genre: **Romance/Humor/Drama

**Pairings:** Sasuke/Sakura, Naruto/Hinata, Itachi/Sakura (What's wrong with me? I don't really know.)

**Author: **pei-chan

**Beta-reader:** Ruru Kitsuneko and .Gurl

**Disclaimer:** Wouldn't it be nice if Sasuke and Sakura were really engaged in the Naruto series? Then again, that would only occur in our dreams… ne?

**A/N:** Two words: I'm sorry! I didn't update for a month. Oh dear. Yes, it's my fault for the delay. I didn't want to upload the chapter without it being edited first, so I waited for my sister to come home on August 7 before I updated. She's my editor after all. Why am I like this? Hm… maybe it's because I'm such a perfectionist.

* * *

**Chapter 10―New Student**

"_I know that it will only be a matter of time before you fall in love with him."_

She shook her head swiftly, as if by doing so she could remove all traces of Itachi's words from her head. She still shuddered at the thought of hearing his husky voice breathing in her ear, remembering what had happened between them yesterday. Heck, she still couldn't get it out of her mind no matter how many times she shook her head. Oh great.

Not only that, she hated herself much more for letting the older Uchiha playfully tease her without moving an inch or making a peep of protest. How could she have been so stupid? She should have just kicked him and got away from him but―no! She just had to lie there comfortably on the ground. He could have even taken advantage of her that way. The reason behind that was maybe because of how mesmerizing his onyx orbs were when he was looking at her.

_Never again_, she thought bitterly. She wouldn't let that happen to her. No way would she just lie down while a man did whatever he wanted with her—even if he didn't do anything. She had learned her lesson.

She stood up from her seat and walked towards the connecting balcony that was accessible through her room. The moment she stepped onto the balcony, the fragrance of the open air calmed her somewhat and her eyes took the time to admire the nature around her. She could see the sight of colorful flowers blooming in her family's enormous garden. She could hear the sounds of the birds chirping. She could even see the sight of the beautiful crystal structured fountain that was located at the center of their courtyard.

Staring at the beauty of nature always calmed her down and made her forget all her problems. At least, even for a while, it was working. She just needed something to get her mind off of those stupid and unnecessary thoughts.

She was already fully dressed for school. She was ready to go, but she still had 30 minutes left to spare. A small smile crept on her lips, as her head slowly turned, trying to inspect every ounce of the scenery before her.

"Sakura," a deep and low voice stated from behind her, snapping her out of her trance.

She blinked at the sound of the voice and automatically turned around. She came face to face with her own older brother. "Onii-chan, what are you doing here?" Sakura asked out of mild curiosity.

The said brother walked towards her, his eyes never leaving hers. His arms were crossed as he walked. He stopped when he was about a few feet away from her. "You looked quite disturbed," he stated coolly.

"Disturbed?" Sakura cocked her head to the side cluelessly.

"You weren't acting like your usual self. You usually scream at everyone, ranting about how much you hate Uchiha Sasuke being your fiancée. That didn't happen yesterday…" he paused as he thought of the next thing he was going to say, "… and the day before that." He decided to continue walking towards her, but stopped right beside her. Sakura's eyes, face and body merely followed the direction he was going to, as she was now facing him. "Something is definitely wrong with you."

"I can assure you, I'm fine." Sakura gave him a fake smile. There was no point in him worrying. It would just give her another thing to think about. Well, she had enough things to think about.

He merely turned towards her and gave her a suspicious gaze.

Sakura turned away from him and walked towards the side of the balcony where a small flowering shrub was located. She bent down and plucked a small daffodil, turned around and looked up to meet his gaze. "But thank you for worrying about me, Gaara-niichan."

"Hn," he replied with his arms still crossed.

Sakura held up the flower towards the level of her green orbs. A smile formed on her pale lips as she admired the small flower. She stood up, walked towards him and placed it in his hands. "Here, take it, give it to your girlfriend. It would be a nice present." With that said she gave him a small grin and walked away from her baffled older brother.

"But I don't have a girlfriend," he replied bluntly to her retreating back, which made her stop and turn around.

"But wasn't Aerin—?" Sakura asked but was cut off immediately by Gaara's stern voice.

"Fangirl," he said, simply.

"How about Yuneko?"

"Fangirl," he repeated.

Sakura sweatdropped and laughed uneasily. Again, she thought of another person that she saw with her brother at school. At last, she found one. "That girl that was with you—"

"Fangirl," he repeated yet again without even listening to what his younger sister had to say.

"Hey, I didn't even say her name yet!" Sakura exclaimed, slightly irritated.

"All the girls that you see with me are all fangirls—with the exception of you and Temari," Gaara stated coolly with his eyes closed.

"Never mind," Sakura drawled as she sighed. "You know what: you should get yourself a girlfriend, Nii-chan―with the exception of your fangirls. I would sure like to meet a girl of your type." She grinned and walked away once more, disappearing into her room, but before she did, she turned around once more and stated, "But she better be a unique girl that isn't like those snobs―or else she's not setting a foot in this house." Those were her last words to her brother as she was now inside the manor, in her room and out of sight.

Gaara's gaze became focused once more on the flower in his hand. "She definitely sounds just like mother."

* * *

The door suddenly opened, making the principal's long blonde head jerk upwards to see the person who had just come into her office. "Ah, so you're here. Tell me. How do you like the school so far?" she asked, keeping a close eye on the boy that stood before her.

The boy didn't reply, but merely gave Tsunade a impassive gaze.

"Well… I'll be sending a person who will escort you to your class. You can wait here until she arrives," Tsunade stated calmly.

"Fine, I'll wait," the boy replied briefly.

"I hope you find this school much to your liking," Tsunade said mildly.

_We'll see,_ the boy thought curtly.

* * *

"I'm going to kill that bitch!"

A nervous laugh rang through the air. "Ami-chan, you don't need to be so vile."

Ami gritted her teeth and growled in reply. "How dare she touch even a hair on Itachi-kun's head!"

"Yeah! She must have threatened Itachi-kun into becoming her boyfriend!" Ami's red-headed 'friend' exclaimed.

"We must protect Itachi-kun from all of the sluts who want to seduce his God-like beauty!" a long haired brunette stated with determination.

"We will find that slut―whoever she is―and we will punish her with the cruelest ways possible." Ami's words were finished off with a sadistic laugh.

Ami's sadistic laughter was cut off when she heard the P.A. system click, and the familiar voice of the secretary named, Mitarashi Anko, echoed through the halls of the school. _"Can Watanabe Ami please proceed to the Principal's Office? I repeat…"_

"Ami-chan!" the brunette named Aki gasped.

"What the―! They're calling for you in the principal's office. I wonder why?" the red-headed girl named Aya asked offhandedly.

Ami growled. "What does that bitchy principal want now?" Ami cussed crudely.

"She won't leave you alone, will she?" Aki snarled curtly.

"I'll show her. She can't treat me like a slave that she can call forth whenever she desires. Doesn't she know who I am? I'm Watanabe Ami―the heir of the Watanabe Group. No one messes with me and gets away with it!" Ami then stomped over to the direction of the principal's office with her head up high.

"Go Ami-chan!" Aya pumped her fist into the air.

"Show her what yo're made off!" Aki cheered.

As Ami heard their loud cheering, a smirk formed on her lips. "You know I will."

* * *

A loud knock promptly sounded on the door of the principal's office, and was soon opened as Mitarashi Anko entered the room. "Tsunade-sama, Watanabe Ami is here."

"Let her in," Tsunade commanded and Anko easily complied without second thoughts.

Soon, Ami entered with a deep frown shown on her beautiful features. "Why the hell did you suddenly call me for? What am I to you―a slave! I'll have you know―"

"I'll have you know that I can give you the worst punishment that you have ever heard of if you keep interrupting and cussing at me. You do know that you're not allowed to curse in the vicinities of the school―or anywhere inside my office, right?" Tsunade stated calmly and coolly with a vein throbbing on her temple.

Ami merely gave her a cold glare.

"Besides, I only called you here for you to escort a new student through the school," Tsunade said, crossing her arms on her expensive desk.

"New student?" Ami frowned with an eyebrow crooked arrogantly.

"That's right," Tsunade replied.

"And who might the new _loser _be?" Ami asked offensively as a smirk formed on her lips. Well, in her opinion, the new transfer students that enrolled at Konoha High were almost always losers like Uzumaki Naruto—which, according to her list, meant that he was a complete nobody. Noobies would always be losers in her opinion―no matter who it was.

"That _loser _that you're referring to… is me," a deep male voice replied, amused. He didn't sound offended at all, even though Ami had called him a loser, which was a very unpleasant term for a new student.

Ami instantly turned towards the source of the voice and clapped her eyes on the boy standing beside her, giving her a smile that caused her cheeks to change into a light tint of red. Right then and there a high pitched squeal escaped her lips as she found herself face to face with a gorgeous and handsome boy with a set of dark orbs and short dark hair.

The boy was smilling at Ami's direction, which turned her blush crimson red. This made Ami laugh uneasily. "Oh, did I say that―silly me. I was merely talking about somebody else."

"I see," the boy replied, still with a smile on his features. He wasn't actually smilling anymore. He was more like smirking towards her direction now. Her pathetic excuse was making him rather well amused.

"His name is Arisugaki Sai, the son of the infamous mangaka artist Arisugaki Sei and the heir of the Arisugaki Group that has been led by his mother, Arisugaki Reiko," Tsunade informed her as she stood up from her comfortable chair and approached the two students.

"Welcome to Konoha High!" Ami chirped enthusiastically, but it only turned out to be a high pitched squeal, which tinted her cheeks red from embarrassment. "I hope you find this school much to your liking!" she continued after regaining her composure.

"I think I _might _actually like it here," Sai smirked, which instantly made the squealing girl before him blush and sigh. Sai glanced at the clock and noticed the time, making his dark shaded orbs narrow slightly. He swung his gaze back to Ami's figure and said in a teasing manner. "We should go now… that is, if you still want to escort me to class―in time."

"Ah―but of course!" Ami clasped her hands together and made her way to the office door with Sai trailling right behind her. Before she opened the door however, she turned around and flashed a bright smile towards Tsunade's direction, which made the principal crease her brows together in a frown. "We'll be going now Tsunade-sama!" Ami said brightly as she opened the door and disappeared with Sai giving Tsunade a nod before following after the girl who had already left before him.

As the door shut behind them, Tsunade sighed as she closed her eyes. "Being nice to the people around her _only _when there's a handsome guy around. That girl never ceases to amaze me." She shook her head at the thought.

* * *

She was running down the school hallway at a fast pace, beads of sweat dripping down her face. She tried her best to keep her shoulder bag in place on her shoulder as she maintained her fast pace. A strand of hair obstructed her view of where she was going. She took little time to brush her pink locks behind her ear, moving her thick glasses out of place, preventing her from seeing where she was going. As a result, she collided straight with another person in the hall, which knocked her backwards on her bottom.

In the process, her thick glasses were knocked off her face and were now lying on the ground somewhere near her—in front of the person she had collided with, to be exact… whoever that was. Not only did her glasses leave her face, but her shoulder bag had snapped open, with all its contents scattered all over the place.

She slowly rubbed her bottom and groaned in pain. She opened her eyes only to see a blurred vision of her surroundings. In front of her, she saw a blurred figure who seemed to be in the same exact predicament that she was—minus the scattered bag and the glasses—with their bottom on the ground. Maybe, this was the person that she had collided with.

"I'm sorry; I wasn't watching where I was going," Sakura apologized sheepishly, covering her clumsiness with a laugh.

The person before her merely gave her a blank stare. At least, what she perceived as a blank stare. It was really hard to tell without her glasses on…

Sakura didn't lose any more time and felt the ground for her glasses so that she would be able to get to class on time. However, she seemed to be making very slow progress with her blurred vision, which made her job even more difficult for her and used up more time than usual.

* * *

He looked at her face and couldn't help but become mesmerized by what he saw. She was really pretty without her glasses on. Without it, her shinning emerald orbs became more visible, transforming her face into one of elegance and beauty.

He never knew, nor did he think that there was this side of her. He thought she was just some odd rich girl that was different from everyone else. In a way, she really looked way different than other people: she wasn't as beautiful or as stunning as other rich girls.

Shaking his head, he decided to take out the unnecessary thoughts occupying his head. He looked at the girl who was groping the ground to locate her thick glasses but was failing miserably.

He saw the glasses lying just inches away from him from the corner of his eye and brought his hand to take it and give it to the girl before him, when her hand abruptly got hold of the said glasses a split second before his did. Consequently, his hand then came gently above hers, making her snap her head back up to look at him with her pure and innocent shining emerald orbs. She stared at him with such a clear look that only a child could possibly possess.

* * *

Who was this person? She didn't know him or even recognize him. All she saw was a blurred figure before her… and no doubt looking at her. She cocked her head to the side, her face taking on an expression of slight confusion. Who was this person?

Suddenly, she felt the grip of his hand on hers tighten slightly, making her eyes go wide at his unexpected actions. Now she saw the blurred figure coming closer and closer towards her and she could tell that he was only a few inches away from her. What was happening? She had no idea.

* * *

He looked at her and observed the face she had never revealed to him… or rather… the face he never bothered to pay any attention to. Aside from her gleaming emerald orbs that stared at him with clear innocence as if she didn't know who he was, her luscious pink lips turned down slightly at the corners, giving him the urge to connect his own lips with hers. Even though her hair was tied up in two messy buns, she still gave off an image of a beautiful but simple girl.

He didn't know what made him do it. Whether it was her facial expression, her green eyes that seemed to stare right through him, her lips or her messed up pink tresses that made him do it… or maybe it was all of them. He didn't know.

Without thinking, his onyx orbs softened as he tilted his head slightly to the side and slowly closed the gap between their faces―or more likely―their lips. He closed the gap between their lips and leaned closer and closer, until her lips were mere inches away from his eager ones. While the girl in front of him merely had the same confused expression on her face, completely ignorant to what was happening or whatever might happen.

His lips continued to approach hers closer and closer in what seemed a very slow pace…

* * *

Before she knew it, the blurred figure before her moved slightly to the side. It was then that she felt something moist and soft on her cheek, making her eyes widen in the process. It seemed to last forever, making her cheeks go slightly pink unconsiously. She didn't know why she was blushing. She just felt… this weird feeling inside her. Quite indescribable.

The hand covering hers suddenly vanished, snapping her out of her reverie. Taking her thick glasses in her hands, she brought them back to her eyes, making her vision clearer once more. She looked around for a more visible sign of the blurred figure that she must have bumped into earlier but instead found an empty hall greeting her silently.

She blinked in confusion. "Was I talking to myself?" No, that couldn't be. Averting her gaze to her hand, she remembered a slightly calloused hand on top of hers. She could still feel the hand that gripped hers in a gentle way, making her eyes soften at the thought.

That wasn't all.

She felt a warm feeling on her cheek as she brought her hand to brush her fingers to where she had felt the moist and soft thing that made contact with her cheek before. Shaking her head, she decided mentally. _Maybe, I was _**just**_ talking to myself after all._

Bringing her hand up to glance at her wristwatch, a panicked gasp escaped her lips as she immediately brought all her scattered things that were strewn on the floor back in her bag as quickly as she could. She bolted upward and sprinted towards her homeroom class.

She unknowingly passed a corridor and didn't even glance at the boy who was leaning on the wall. To be frank, she didn't notice the boy at all as she just continued to run towards the direction of her classroom without bothering to notice anything else.

As Sakura vanished from view, he slid his gaze towards the floor, contemplating on what he did earlier.

He almost kissed her―on the lips even. He had never felt the compulsion to kiss someone without any sayso whatsoever before in his entire life. He had never been affected like that by anyone―ever. So why now of all times and why―her of all people? Even he didn't know.

"What's wrong with me?" he murmured as a groan escaped his lips and his hand ruffled through his own raven locks. The sudden urge that he felt to kiss her made him confused. He sighed. It was a good thing that he was able to snap himself back to reality before his lips even made contact with her soft ones. He was able to change his intented direction and gave her a kiss on the cheek instead. At least, he was able to stop himself before he did something that he _might _regret later. Heck, he was already regretting kissing his fiancée on the cheek already―but on the lips? He wasn't sure how he—or even she—would take it.

Placing his hands into his pants' pockets, he pushed himself from the wall and walked slowly to his own class, trying his best to keep the cool façade that he always had from slipping from his face. However, his mind continued to be tormented not only by his simple and peculiar fiancée, but also by the mysterious girl that he met during the festival.

Things just became even more complicated for him.

Unknown to him though, a certain boy stepped in the hall and was staring at his retreating back with a snicker escaping his lips leaving a grin in its place. Excitement overwhelmed the boy's whole being at the thought of what he had seen, or rather, how he could use whatever he saw to obtain what he wanted―whatever he desired.

* * *

_Oh no―I'm going to be late!_

At the moment she spied the door leading to her classroom, she quickly opened it and bolted inside. Immediately, she bowed her head, refusing to meet the strange looks that everyone gave her as all attention turned to her.

"I'm sorry, I'm late," Sakura said, embarrassed.

Silence was the mere response that was given to her, until a stiffled snort escaped one of the students' mouths, a clear indication that soon the whole room would be engulfed with laughter.

Baffled, Sakura raised her head and looked for a sign of her perverted sensei, but found instead various signs of her laughing classmates. They were all looking at her scornfully, the girls giggling, and the boys chuckling.

Not offended by the disdainful laughter that was filling her ears, her gaze slid over towards her best friend who was located behind her laughing classmates. Ignoring their taunting, she passed by them with a blank expression on her face and made her way towards her timid best friend who had a sympathetic expression on her face. She must have felt sorry for Sakura for being taunted—again—by their fellow classmates, and the day was just starting, mind you.

"Sakura-chan," Hinata murmured, giving her friend a worried stare.

"So," Sakura laughed nervously, waiting for the worst that came with being the laughingstock of the class.

"You know that Kakashi-sensei is mostly late, ne? Sakura-chan, you didn't need to bow like that when you thought you were late as if you really were at a commoner's school. They're just going to laugh at you," Hinata sighed, her worried expression still plastered on her features.

Sakura heaved out a deep sigh. She didn't usually act like that. She usually kept her composure… even though she was late. She would just barge inside the classroom and go to her seat without explaining to her teacher why she was late in the first place. However, that was the Haruno Sakura of many years ago. The Haruno Sakura of the present was someone who always made a fool of herself and was almost always the taunting object of the class. Just like now…

Sukisaki Aki, one of Watanabe Ami's fellow 'friends' walked towards the two best friends talking freely with a smug look on her face. "What's this? It's a good thing you know your place Haruno. You should keep that up for the rest of the school year. Bow unto us and know your place."

Sakura turned around and merely gave Aki a blank glance and immediately turned back towards her timid best friend, engaging her into another conversation. "By the way, did you bring it?"

Hinata, who still had her gaze on the fuming Aki, averted her gaze back hesitantly towards her carefree best friend as she noticed that Sakura was talking to her. "What?"

"Did you make your _boyfriend _lunch?" Sakura asked slyly with a grin on her face, emphasizing the word 'boyfriend', which made her timid best friend twiddle her fingers.

"Hey you, are you listening to me?" Aki screamed in the background.

Hinata blushed and her heart started pounding at a fast rate. "I don't think that 'boyfriend' is the right term. We're… not… together… you see…" she fidgetted, unknowingly ignoring Aki's feeble attempt to be noticed.

Clenching her fist and her patience growing thin, she stomped her way towards them and grabbed Sakura's shoulder aggressively in order to get her to face her. Sakura merely gave her another blank expression, irking Aki into raising her hand in order to slap the girl in front of her. "Who do you think you are to ignore me, huh?" Aki screeched and glared at the girl before her as she drew her hand back and made it fly towards Sakura's pale face. No one would dare ignore her. Anyone who would―would pay the price. She wasn't Watanabe Ami's friend for nothing.

Besides, maybe inflicting pain on the hardheaded girl before her might at long last make it register in her mind the place where she truly belonged―that she was only a mere pauper and didn't deserve any of their respect. _Not _that anyone knew that she was the sister of the infamous siblings Sabaku Gaara, Sabaku Temari and Sabaku Kankuro. Even her best friend Hyuuga Hinata didn't know anything about it.

That wasn't the only reason that irked Aki enough into giving a good slap on Sakura's face. She also wanted to wipe that blank expression out of her features. She wanted the girl before her to squirm or even wince in pain―just anything other than that blank stare that she kept giving her.

Hinata gasped in shock, already envisioning what would happen. She knew that her best friend would again be abused by another one of the students yet again. She had been witnessing this for the past two years. Every time an event like this would occur, Sakura would always keep a cool and blank façade like it was nothing to her. Hinata didn't know what might be going on in Sakura's head, but she couldn't take it seeing her best friend―or rather, her first friend to be mistreated by anyone like this.

She wanted to do something. She wanted to be of help to Sakura. She desperately wanted to help her… but how? She wasn't valiant enough to stand up for her friend other than stay in the background and watch whatever would happen, happen. She didn't want that. She didn't want to stay in the sidelines anymore and watch her best friend be mistreated by others.

_Uzumaki Naruto had been accompanied by the Hyuuga heiress, Hyuuga Hinata, into finishing the job of―supposedly, Naruto and Sasuke's detention during the festival._

_"Ne, Hinata-chan?" Naruto asked suddenly, breaking the silence that illuminated them._

_Hinata averted her gaze from the black garbage bag she was holding in her hands and turned towards the blonde boy that was beside her. "What is it, Naruto-kun?"_

_"About Sakura-chan: is she always being treated like that?" Naruto asked without making eye contact by keeping his gaze on what he was doing and away from hers._

_"I don't understand," Hinata frowned. She was confused. What was Naruto saying?_

_"She's always letting herself be treated like dirt. It irks me. I hate it when the rich kids in this school take advantage of their wealth and use it as an excuse for treating other people like dirt." Naruto glared at the concrete ground that his cerulean orbs were focused at._

_Hinata turned her gaze away from him and slowly focused it towards the ground as well, deep in thought. She wasn't jealous because the boy that she was infatuated with was worried about her best friend. She just knew what he meant, and this made her guilty._

_Now, it was Naruto's turn to face her as he stared at the side of her face. "Hinata-chan?" A worried frown appeared on his face when he saw Hinata's solemn and shameful expression._

_"I can't even do anything to help her. She always protected me and stood by me all the time, and I can't even do the same thing for her. I hate myself." Hinata stared at the concrete ground sadly. It was true. Sakura had been the first person who ever talked to her like a real person. Hinata felt needed and important when she was with Sakura… but she still couldn't protect Sakura when she was practically being bullied by the rich and popular kids at Konoha High. All she could do was stand by… and watch. She hated it._

_As she felt a hand on her shoulder, she snapped out of her reverie and immediately turned towards the grinning Naruto._

_"I know that soon you'll be able to."_

Those small words in her memory gave her courage. He understood her. He didn't feel ashamed of her nor did he pity her. No, he comforted and encouraged her… with only a simple sentence. That was all she needed. That was all that she need in order to do what she had wanted to do two years ago…

Sakura merely waited patiently and calmly to feel the pain on her cheek. However, her calm façade soon dissipated as soon as she saw a hand encircle Aki's wrist a few inches away from Sakura's dumbfounded expression, which effectively stopped it from moving any further to inflict the damage it was meant to. Sakura trailed her eyes towards the arm that stopped Aki's hand until her gaze rested on the person who prevented Aki's assault.

Sakura's eyes widened as she saw and recognized who the hand belonged to. Her shocked gaze now rested on her best friend's calm features. "H-hinata?"

"Let go of me, Hyuuga. This doesn't concern you," Aki snarled angrily as she tried to pry her wrist out of Hinata's grasp. It only held her wrist tighter, making Aki wince at the slight pain she felt.

As Hinata's grip tightened on Aki's wrist, she lifted her head up to meet Aki's gaze with a cold glare that made Aki step back reflexively. She gulped nervously. When Hinata noticed and sensed Aki's fear, she loosened her grip on Aki's wrist and immediately released it.

That was all Aki needed to back up and walk away from them without another word, but the only outward sign she gave them of defeat was the slight fearful quivering of her body. The glare that Hyuuga Hinata sent her made her cower in fear. She might be a timid and silent girl, but she had never seen and thought that she would see her give anyone that kind of glare. A cold and cool glare that made sweat drip down her face, messing the make up that she put on earlier. That really freaked her out… big time.

Sakura slowly averted her gaze from Aki's retreating back towards Hinata in shock. It was then that Sakura noticed Hinata suddenly shaking. She frowned slightly. From what? Why was she suddenly shaking like that? "Hi-hinata?"

Hinata continued to shake conspicuously as she slowly raised her shaking hand and stared at it in shock. Her lower lip began to tremble. She bit it slightly, trying to make the trembling stop, but failed miserably. Slowly, her expresion altered to a small smile, glad of her accomplishment.

She was able to stand up to one of the infamous Watanabe Ami's 'friends', without worrying about the consequences. Not that she cared. Punishment or consequence―it didn't matter to her. What she cared about right now was that she was at long last able to do something that she had always wanted.

She was able to protect her best friend… for the very first time.

"I… I did it… I was actually… able to do it," Hinata sighed gladly, her lavender orbs gleaming with happiness and the smile still on her face. Just then, she felt a hand rest on her shoulder, making her shaking cease as she turned around and faced Sakura with a concerned expression on her face.

As she saw her best friend's worried expression, Hinata sent her a small and sincere smile, making Sakura blink in confusion. "For the first time… I was actually able to do something for you."

Sakura blinked yet again as she saw Hinata's meek smile once more. It was then that she realized what her timid best friend meant. Her confused expression softened, making a giggle escape through her lips. Sakura, then, returned Hinata's modest gesture with a smile… a sincere smile of her own.

* * *

Sasuke came in through the door with a deep frown on his handsome features. He knew that their sensei would be late… again. He was always late. That's why he usually took a stroll around the halls every morning. There was nothing for him to do inside other than glare at his fangirls and stare outside the window. He thought that he might at least have some peace and quiet by himself. As in, to actually make the time to think about the things that had happened for the past few days. Things were already becoming complicated for him.

Seeing his fiancée again with some minor adjustments, made him look at her differently, which made things even more complicated for him. Now, not only was he thinking of the mysterious girl that he met during the festival―but also, quite oddly, his own fiancée as well, ever since the incident earlier.

Sasuke let a sigh escape his lips. He ran a hand through his smooth and silky raven hair, still deep in thought. What was wrong with him? He didn't like acting like this. He didn't like thinking about a woman―any woman―even his own fiancée. He hated this feeling. It was bothering him―a lot.

He walked towards where his seat was located only to avert his gaze from the marble floor to his unattractive fiancée that he just realized wasn't exactly unattractive afterall—which was all thanks to that earlier incident. He stared carefully at her facial expression and watched as she gave a smile towards her best friend, which made an image of her during their earlier encounter flash before him.

As this happened, he immediately tore his gaze away from his ignorant fiancée and continued to make his way towards his seat only to be stopped upon hearing a familiar voice behind him.

"Sasuke-teme!"

Yup, he definitely knew who that voice came from.

Sasuke turned around, frowning slightly at the person who called him. "What do you want now, dobe?"

It was then that his best friend/rival gave a smirk towards him with an added snicker escaping from his lips.

This only confused Sasuke, but at the same time, got him rather suspicious as well on what the blonde boy might be planning. _Probably something stupid_, Sasuke thought offhandedly as he frowned at the blonde boy standing before him.

The blonde boy continued to snicker conspicuously even though he tried his best to hide it, which only succeeding in making Sasuke more irritated. "What are you snickering about, dobe?" Sasuke glared at the blonde boy.

But that only intimidated his best friend as his smirk grew wider and his snickering turned into a soft chuckle. It took a while before his chuckling subsided, now only having a smirk forming on his lips.

Getting extremely irritated and annoyed, Sasuke decided to do something that would end this pathetic conversation. He turned around and walked away without casting Naruto a second glance. His walked towards his seat, ignoring Naruto's piercing voice as he yelled at his retreating figure to stop.

"What was that I saw in the hall?" Naruto chuckled loudly. The whole class suddenly became silent as they heard some possible valuable information about the infamous Uchiha Sasuke. Everyone needed to know about his interests, his strengths, and his weaknesses. It was more on the lines that they needed to know everything that the younger Uchiha was doing. To be frank, he practically didn't have _any _privacy―at all.

Couldn't they just leave him alone?

Sasuke gazed at his classmates around the room from the corner of his eye and saw that practically everyone's attention was focused on him and his nosy best friend. He knew what he was talking about. It was that time… when he… he kissed a girl unconsiously without himself even noticing what he was doing. He didn't kiss just any girl… but this was his fiancée―fiancée! They were supposed to treat each other like mortal enemies, trying to manipulate one another just to finally break free of their arranged engagement. They were suppose to dislike one another and not―not―

"That was such a great move, teme," Naruto smirked and laughed as he saw Sasuke's piercing glare coming towards his direction, which this time, he could easily dismiss.

He was doing this on purpose. Now, everyone in the class was listening to their intense conversation, waiting for the key information that would surely lead to another huge gossip around the school. No way was he going to let him win. He was definitely not going to get the better of him.

He had to shut him up before his mouth slipped up and he says something that would be witnessed and heard by everyone in the classroom… with his fiancée included. He already figured out that she practically dismissed the thought of him even kissing her earlier, seeing that she didn't even spare a glance at him when he came in. How naïve of her to think that she was just imagining what had happened earlier. Oh well, he couldn't really blame her… if she couldn't see a thing without her glasses.

_It's better that way,_ Sasuke thought. At least that way, he wouldn't have to worry about her treating him in a whole new, and different way. Things could stay the same way that they were… the way they _should _be. That way, there would be less trouble for him. Setting that issue aside, he had to think of a way to shut up his nosy best friend―soon.

Or in more specific terms―now―!

Naruto continued not caring what Sasuke might do to him if he did blurt out what he had seen. Not that Naruto cared. What mattered to him was that he was getting the reaction that he wanted from his best friend, and he couldn't get anymore satisfied than that.

"I never knew you felt that way towards S―" Naruto was cut off when a hand fiercely grabbed onto his collar and jerked it forward, towards the coldly forbidding face of his seemingly erstwhile best friend to be precise. Sasuke narrowed his eyes, intensifying the glare that was directed towards Naruto even more, making his best friend flinch slightly.

"I suggest you shut up, dobe, if you know what's good for you," Sasuke threatened deadpanned.

"Why shoud I, teme? It's not like you care about what they're going to hear, ne?" Naruto grinned. This was his way of paying Sasuke back for giving him detention it being only their first month at school. That wasn't a good school record.

"Cause I said so," Sasuke glared at the blonde boy as his grip on his friend's collar tightened when he pulled it further upwards so that Naruto's head was tilted backwards.

"Well, too bad for that."

"Do you really want to die?" His grip on Naruto's collar tightened even more.

"I imagine that your older brother, Itachi-san knows something about this," Naruto smirked, as Sasuke tried to fight back the urge of punching the living daylights out of his smirking best friend right then and there. "No? Why didn't you tell him? Should I do it for you?"

"You won't be trying that."

"Really now? Are you sure about that, teme?" Naruto snickered. He had waited for this moment for all his life… well, for the longest while anyway. He had always wanted to make the infamous Uchiha lose his cool façade, and it seems as though he was doing rather well in making it a reality.

Naruto glanced over Sasuke's shoudler, coaxing him to do the same. Doing what the blonde boy was encouraging him to do, Sasuke tilted his head slightly to the side and took a glance at his fiancée.

Unlike the other students in the classroom, Sakura was merely having a conversation with her timid best friend. It seems that they didn't want to bother with what was currently the center of attention of the class. Whether it was because they just didn't care or they just didn't want to get involved… no one knew. All the two girls did was continue talking freely, being the only source of noise in the silent room.

He continued to watch her as the two suddenly giggled again with smiles on their faces. It was just when he suddenly heard her scoff did he immediately turn his attention back to his blonde best friend who now had a wide smirk emblazoned on his face and his cerulean eyes glinting slyly.

"Busted," Naruto snickered.

His free hand balled into a fist at his side. He wanted to give in and beat that snickering face before him into a bloody pulp. But that would make him a coward―beating someone when a bunch of spectators were witnessing every blow that he sent towards the smirking boy that he held by the collar. No way would he do that. It wasn't his style after all.

* * *

"Ne, Sakura-chan, Naruto-kun and Sasuke-san are fighting," Hinata said nervously, getting worried if blood would soon be spilt between the two boys that were the center of attention in the room. And _that _was something she definitely didn't want to see.

Sakura walked towards her seat and fell back weakly on her chair, and slouched on her desk with a sigh. "Leave them be Hinata. It's their problem, let them deal with it," she scoffed.

Hinata followed suit and now stood just beside her scowling friend's desk. "Ano, Sakura-chan, you seem angry about something," Hinata commented, casting the said girl a soft and worried glance.

Sakura only kept glaring at her own desk and mumbled words incoherently that only made Hinata blink in confusion. However, Hinata didn't say anything, not wanting to anger or annoy her best friend in the wrong way. _It's best not to talk to her right now. She looks like she might attack someone any minute at this state._ Hinata sighed. It was really best to leave her alone for a while.

Meanwhile, within Sakura's brain, the voice of the older Uchiha kept on ringing in her ears. They kept whispering the same words that annoyed her greatly over and over again:

"_I know that it will only be a matter of time before you fall in love with him."_

His voice just couln't seem to leave her head alone. It was always haunting her wherever she went. And now―seeing the person who Uchiha Itachi was referring to, made Sakura unknowingly irritated. _He can't be serious. For me to fall in love with him!_ She took a second to glance at her handsome fiancée. Handsome? As if! Casting him a glare, Sakura gave a scornful snort and averted her gaze back to the desk in front of her.

_No way is that going to happen._

* * *

"I'm kidding," Naruto chuckled and gave a convincing grin.

His grin wasn't convincing the younger Uchiha though. "Oh really. You don't seem to be joking to me." Sasuke cocked a brow as he stared at his best friend coolly.

Naruto waved his hands in front of him, trying his best to cool the Uchiha down. "Come on now, you know that I wouldn't do anything that would ruin your reputation in school."

"I don't give a crap about my reputation in this pathetic school." Sasuke gave cold glare.

Naruto cast him a skeptical look. "Really? If you don't care about what the whole school would think about you, you wouldn't care if I tell Itachi then."

Sasuke's cold glare suddenly turned into a piercing one. His grip on Naruto's collar tightened once more and he drew Naruto's figure closer as he gave him a murderous glare until they were ultimately face to face. "Don't you even dare. Talk and I swear this will be the last time you can open that nosy mouth of yours," Sasuke threatened with a death glare.

Naruto gulped nervously, feeling a chill run down his back as he felt Sasuke's murderous aura circling around them. Not good. Still, being the stubborn fool that he is, he tried ticking off Sasuke even more, wanting to seeing how far he could push before the Uchiha finally snapped.

"Oi, Sakura-chan!" Naruto called, glancing above Sasuke's shoulder to gaze at the said girl.

Sakura looked up and gazed at Naruto with a frown on her face. "Huh?"

"What are you planning, dobe?" Sasuke eyed Naruto suspiciously upon hearing the sound of his fiancée's name. "Don't get her involved in this," he murmured in a low voice―almost a whisper, so that no one would be able to hear their conversation―even though they were practically in front of the class.

"It looks like she doesn't know what you did." Naruto had a sly smile on his lips. "How about I tell her then―about you trying to steal a kiss from her? I wonder… would she get frustrated?"

They were both whispering, making the students in the classroom crinkle their brows into frowns of confusion. No one heard what the two boys were talking about. The only thing that they knew was that the infamous Uchiha had a murderous aura around him, and it would not be advisable to approach the arguing boys. They knew that Uzumaki Naruto was facing a fate that would ensure his demise now that he had angered Sasuke―not that any of the students in the classroom cared about his fate. They couldn't care less. Well, with the exception of Hyuuga Hinata and Haruno Sakura, who merely sympathized with Naruto for his stubbornness.

That was it. He didn't care anymore. He brought his free hand, which was already balled into a fist, preparing to lauch a powerful punch towards Naruto's face. He didn't care whether everyone would witness him beating someone up because he had reached the end of his patience. As he launched his fist towards Naruto's face, Naruto spoke one last time, trying to save his face from being beaten into a bloody pulp.

"How about we make a deal, teme?"

This made Sasuke's fist stop just inches away from the bridge of Naruto's nose. "What kind of deal?" Sasuke's onyx orbs narrowed into slits. He didn't lower his fist, but kept it at the same place where it stopped in midair.

"Let go of me first," Naruto protested.

"No," Sasuke replied coolly. "Just tell me." His onyx orbs narrowed dangerously, daring Naruto to say anything that would ensure his demise.

"Be my servant for the rest of the year," Naruto said.

Sasuke kept silent after hearing Naruto's deal. Without a second thought, he lowered his fist (much to Naruto's relief), and loosened his grip on Naruto's collar. Soon he released the fabric that was now crumpled from his tight grip. He turned around and walked away, with Naruto gaping in shock at his retreating back.

He took a few steps before he gave him his thoughts about that _stupid_**―**in his opinion―deal. "No."

Naruto scoffed. He wouldn't let him get away that easily. Now that he finally found a way to make his best friend swallow his pride, he wasn't just going to let the chance slip out of his fingers that easily. No way! He was left with no other choice.

He was going to tell her.

Running towards where Haruno Sakura was seated, Naruto waved at her. "Sakura-chan!" This earned him a confused frown from her. Hinata was also doing the same thing as her head titled sideways. He was running towards them… that was until… a hand stopped him from going any further. A hand tightly gripped the back of his polo shirt, making him gag helplessly for air in the process.

"Stop right there," a stern voice growled from behind him.

The grin went back on Naruto's lips. "So… deal?" Naruto asked without bothering to turn around.

"Why do you even think that I would agree to a stupid deal such as that?"

"Simple. I won't say anything about what I saw earlier if you do whatever I ask you to do for the rest of the year." He was _so _going to win this!

"It better not be something stupid," Sasuke warned dangerously.

"Don't worry, I'll only ask you to do something reasonable." Naruto grinned triumphantly.

"Hn," he released his grip on the back of Naruto's shirt. "One thing, I won't do anything that involves me being treated like a servant." He walked away once again towards the direction of his seat, brushing on Naruto's shoulder in the process.

"Think of it more like a favor," Naruto said.

"Well, isn't this just entertaining," a voice said from right behind the blonde boy.

Naruto whirled around and turned to face his silver haired sensei. "You're late!" He immediately pointed an accusing finger towards his sensei.

"Really now, I thought I was early," Kakashi stated calmly as he placed a hand under his chin, as if deep in thought.

"Sensei, you're thirty minutes late," a female student in class pointed out with a frown.

"Hm, and here I thought I finally came to school early. I must have set my alarm at the wrong time." Kakashi eyed her nonchalantly.

The class groaned. This was pointless. What was the point? There was no use reasoning with him. Even though no matter how many times they try to tell him about his tardiness it would always be the same. He was still—always be late.

After Hatake Kakashi saw everyone had already taken their seats, he gave them a sly smile under his mask that grew unnoticed by the class. "Well then. Because I'm in such a good mood and because you had all been such great students, I'm going to assign you a three page essay for homework today."

The whole class groaned. Some banged their heads on their desks, and some tried to protest.

Naruto bolted up from his seat and complained. "But―Kakashi-sensei―"

"Should I make it four then?" Kakashi asked nonchalantly. "Or maybe five?"

The class cringed in their seats. Immediately, Inuzuka Kiba stood up from his seat and grabbed Naruto's shoulder from behind, forcing him back onto his seat. It was then that the rest of the class gave Naruto a glare. Everyone knew that reasoning with their sensei was futile. It'll only make matters worse.

"Shut up, you idiot! You're only making things worse. Remember that this was your fault in the beginning!" Kiba whispered angrily behind Naruto.

Naruto turned his head slightly to the side, making sure not to get caught having a conversation with a fellow class member that might encourage their sensei to give them more punishments.

"My fault? How is this my fault?" Naruto snapped, whispering back in annoyance.

"You made that big commotion right in front of class that you didn't even notice him standing on the doorway for five minutes! Do you think he won't be furious about that?" Kiba replied snappily.

"Well, he has a funny way of showing it," Naruto said sardonically.

"Would you mind sharing your conversation to the rest of the class, Uzumaki and Inuzuka?" their sensei said right in front of the class. His gaze was fixed towards the two said students, eyeing them with a crooked silver brow.

The two students gulped and laughed nervously as their attention was both brought back to the front of the class. Immediately, they thought of a valid excuse, but was failing miserbly as the words that came out of their mouths were incoherent.

"Um… you see…"

"We… we were just…"

Right beside the guilty Naruto, Hyuuga Hinata felt her heart ache at the sight of her crush being in trouble. "Naruto-kun…" she whispered in a low tone as she looked at him miserably.

From the window side of the classroom, however, Haruno Sakura and Uchiha Sasuke didn't feel the same way.

_We're in _**so**_ much trouble now,_ Sakura thought flatly as she rested her chin on her hand.

_He deserves it. Good going, dobe,_ Sasuke thought spitefully as he averted his gaze from the pathetic scenery before him towards the school grounds outside the window.

"Be careful in what you say though, Uzumaki-san, Inuzuka-san. If your reason is something stupid, then your classmates will also receive a severe punishment." Kakashi gave them a fake smile. "Now, what is it you wanted to tell me."

Naruto felt nervous, thinking fast of what to say. Sadly, he couldn't think of a good reason that wouldn't reward them any further punishment from their unpredictable sensei.

Suddenly, the door slid open as a high pitched voice was heard in the room. "Konnichiwa, Kakashi-sensei!" A flirt named Watanabe Ami came through the door with a wide smile on her face.

"What are you doing here, Watanabe-san?" Kakashi asked as he focused his attention towards her, the punishment he had in mind for his other students forgotten.

Ami gave a flirty smirk. She didn't answer the question but just looked around until her gaze finally rested on the person whom she was looking for. "Ah, Sasuke-kun!" she squealed as she waved for him to notice her presence.

Sasuke merely gave her a glance before he turned his attention back towards the outside of the window.

Ami pouted as she noticed Sasuke's lack of attention towards her. She was cursing inside as she noticed that her rival, Haruno Sakura was sitting just in front of her dearest, Sasuke-kun. She was just planning on paying the pink haired girl a little visit when a voice interrupted her thoughts.

"It seems that I have to do the work myself," a voice came from the other side of the door. After a pause, a figure came through the door that made the female population of the class squeal. A handsome 16 year old boy entered the classroom.

"So, are you the new student?" Kakashi asked as he eyed the boy carefully.

The boy nodded as he turned towards the class and stated with a smile on his lips. "My name is Arisugaki Sai. Pleased to meet you."

**_TBC_**

**

* * *

A/N: **Many of you asked if I could keep the chapter length like in the last chapter. I couldn't resist. Now, all the rest of my chapters are over 20 pages. Long chapters… I hope you won't get bored reading them.

I'm really sorry if I haven't respond to your reviews. I'm really busy―even if it is summer. So, I'm only responding to the ones that I really have to comment on.

* * *

**Chapter 11―Arisugaki Sai**

"You must be Haruno Sakura, right?" Sai asked with a smile.

She merely nodded silently, a confused expression on her face. "Ah, yes. Why do you ask?"

Before she knew it, the boy before her bent down on one knee. He took her right hand in his and with his eyes closed, he brought it to his warm lips, placing a small kiss at the back of it. Sakura blushed as her viridian orbs widened at Sai's sudden actions. She unconciously brought her free hand to her chest. She could even feel his steady breathing on the back of her hand, tickling her skin.

_What is he doing?_ Sakura thought in shock, but didn't move an inch to take her hand out of his grip. She was too shocked for her mind to think straight at the moment. Her heart was pounding quite loudly in her ears, or was she just feeling it?

Sai opened his eyes and looked up to see Sakura's blushing face. He smiled at her―or was it one of his hidden smirks―and said, "Would you do me the honor of escorting me for the remainder of the day and showing me around the school?"

**

* * *

Updated:** August 15, 2006


	11. Arisugaki Sai

**Engagement On Hold**

**Summary:** (AU) Uchiha Sasuke is Konoha High's reigning prince. Haruno Sakura is…? Who is she again? What happens when the guy everybody knows finds himself engaged to the girl nobody knows?

**Genre: **Romance/Humor/Drama

**Pairings:** Sasuke/Sakura, Naruto/Hinata, Itachi/Sakura (What's wrong with me? I don't really know.)

**Author: **pei-chan

**Beta-reader:** Ruru Kitsuneko

**Disclaimer:** Wouldn't it be nice if Sasuke and Sakura were really engaged in the Naruto series? Then again, that would only occur in our dreams… ne?

**

* * *

Chapter 11 ―Arisugaki Sai**

The female population continued to squeal in delight at the sight of the new '**handsome**' student in their class, whereas the male population just groaned as they realized that there was going to be a new source for infatuation for the female population. That means there would be less girls to flirt with because most of them (the female population) would be busy attempting to make the new student notice them.

For Sakura's annoyance, she heard practically every single female in the class squealing at the sight of the new student standing before the class. She was cursing mentally. _Here it goes,_ Sakura grumbled mentally.

"Oh my gosh, he's so cute!" a girl squealed to her friend, sitting right beside her.

"What do you mean 'he's cute', he's downright―**handsome**!" her friend cried back, literally ignoring the scoff that Sakura made.

"I gotta agree on that one."

"Oh my gosh, is he looking at us?"

"Oh my gosh, I think he is!"

"Go on, wave towards him."

To Sakura's annoyance, their high pitched squeals didn't stop there. It only escalated as more and more females were now ogling at the new student, trying to persuade Sai into sitting next to them, behind them or anywhere near them. Apparently, now that her patience had already reached its fullest extent, Sakura whirled her head to the side with a huff and glared at the window regardless of the excellent view it showed. At least the view of the sky was better to look at rather than a scenery full of squealing girls. She hated it. Hearing those high pitched squeals that her fellow female classmates made, reminded her of something she definitely didn't want to remember… again.

Kakashi sighed. Now that the class, or rather―the female population of the class became rilled up, it would be difficult to maintain the order of the class. (Not like he ever maintained control over his class anyway.) He glanced around the class, looking for a vacant seat for the new student. After scanning the whole classroom, Kakashi found one particular place at last. He knew that if he assigned that seat for the new student, it would cause a lot of buzz in the class. Not that it really mattered. It was a normal occurrence for him in this particular homeroom class anyway.

"Arisugaki Sai, you will be seated next to―"

Kakashi wasn't able to finish his sentence, however, when many girls raised up their hands, chanting the same thing.

"Oh next to me! Me!"

"Sit next to me!"

"No, me!"

"Me!"

Sakura sighed in exasperation and rolled her eyes in annoyance. Oh, how she held back the powerful urge to scream, "How about he just sits at the front next to Kakashi-sensei, so you can admire his good looks!" Not that she would do that. It would just attract more of her classmates' attention towards her, and she was content with the amount of attention that she already receives on a daily basis―barely any―thank you very much.

So, the best way to get rid of her frustration was to think of one thing, _Think of good thoughts. Think of good thoughts. Good thoughts. _Sakura thought of this in a grumble. Somehow, it wasn't helping her at all, for it only triggered something else. A memory. A part of a memory that she detested. A part of a memory that she tried so hard to forget.

Kakashi sighed deciding to raise his voice. It was the only way for him to get through his rabid class―more like the female population at least. The guys merely cursed and glared at Sai's direction, which he returned with a smile of his own, irking the guys even more. It was obvious that the new student was aware of the commotion he was creating in the classroom, and even seemed to enjoy it.

Faking a cough, Kakashi tried to complete his sentence once more, but before doing so, a plan―a new plan formulated in his mind. "What would you all think if I give you girls detention for the whole week." When the class didn't cease from their noisy rantings, and merely ignored their sensei, he decided to take his punishment up a notch. "Maybe, it would be nice if the _whole_ class participates in detention for the next week."

Immediately, the noise level of the class reduced to an eerie yet deafening silence. It's not wise to get into Kakashi-sensei's bad side. Bad idea!

"That's better," Kakashi sighed in relief, in a way that made the class gulp in nervousness when he did so. "As I was saying until I was so rudely―interrupted." Kakashi gave a stern glance to the class, making the girls' tense, slightly afraid of what their sensei might do. "Arisugaki Sai, you will be seated next to… Hyuuga Hinata."

Immediately, the said timid girl looked up with a shocked expression on her face. "E-eh!"

"Would you mind raising your hand, Hinata-san?" Kakashi asked with a stern expression that only made Hinata even more edgy.

Gulping nervously, she reluctantly lifted her hand up. She looked down, unable to keep up with her sensei's gaze. He scared her. Why did she have to be picked on besides the rest of the 30 students in the class.

Naruto, feeling that it was inequitable that a stranger had the opportunity to sit right beside his precious Hinata-chan, when he had to sit right at the opposite side from where Hinata was seated. No he wouldn't allow it!

Bolting up from his seat, Naruto glared at Sai's direction. He turned his attention towards his sensei and started his protest. "Why does he have the right to sit beside Hinata-chan?"

Sadly, Sai was earning an awfully great amount of rivals. But, judging from his facial expression, it didn't look like he cared anything about the matter.

Kakashi merely arched an eyebrow at Naruto's complaint. His stern expression was gone, and his normal jaded expression had returned as he looked at his young student's direction. He didn't want to admit it, but his student's blatant actions were quite interesting to him. _Ah, adolescence, such a great thing._

Wanting to prolong his amusement, he decided to try and tease his fuming student to see what his reaction was going to be. "And what seems to be the problem with that?"

Naruto answered out of the blue without even giving his future answer a thought. "Because—I'm the only one who gets to sit next to Hinata-chan!" Naruto reasoned selfishly, earning a gasp from the class and a surprised squeak from the girl he mentioned. He sure knew how to speak his mind.

Kakashi only eyed Naruto with an amused glint in his eye. He didn't expect Naruto to be so blunt about his feelings. That was definitely unexpected. _Then again… it was a selfish confession._

Hinata lowered her head in embarrassment. She didn't know what to feel. Whether she should be embarrassed because she would now be the talk of the school and because the girls would have something new to tease her with, or if she should be happy. A part of her felt embarrassed, but a larger part of her was glad about it. Happiness was overflowing within her. Happy, for the fact that her childhood crush enjoyed her company enough that he wanted to sit right beside her more than anyone.

Sasuke, however, was thinking more in between the lines of how stupid and idiotic his best friend was. "Dobe," he grunted in a low tone, as he merely glanced to witness the unbearable scene of his best friend, who was ignorantly embarrassing himself. _He's unconsciously making the girl even more tense. Nice move, moron._ Not like he would do anything to help his obnoxious best friend. He was considering his indifference more like a payback.

Naruto needed to be calmed down. As a teacher, it was Kakashi's job to keep his students under control. But before he could even speak to settle the blonde boy down, a voice spoke before him.

"Then should I go and relinquish my seat for you?" a deep voice asked sardonically.

Naruto whirled his head towards the source of the voice and he found himself staring eye-to-eye with the new student standing before the class. A growl escaped his lips as he saw that mocking smile on Sai's lips. "What did you say?" Naruto's cerulean orbs narrowed dangerously, glaring hatefully at Sai's direction.

Sai merely shrugged idly, aggravating Naruto even more. He only answered Naruto's question with a shrug.

Before Naruto could say anthing, Kakashi interrupted. "Sai, you can sit down now. It seems that Hyuuga Hinata's hand is getting rather tired with the amount of time it's been raised up," Kakashi stated calmly, as if nothing wrong was happening. "You can put your hand down now, Hyuuga-san."

Complying with her sensei's claim, Hinata brought her hand down with a tense sigh. Her lavender orbs trailled Sai's figure out of the corner of her eye as he approached the vacant seat beside her.

Sai sat down in his seat only to sense that someone was staring at him. Turning to the side, he saw his new seatmate, Hyuuga Hinata staring at him out of the corner of her eye. He gave her a smile, making her immediately avert her gaze away from him, flushing slightly. Sai could only chuckle inwardly, engrossed by the situation.

Hinata bit her lips softly, trembling as embarrassment resurfaced through her. _He-he saw me looking at him._

"And as for you Uzumaki, Arisugaki Sai's sitting beside Hyuuga Hinata isn't a personal thing, since all the other seats are taken," he paused, as he eyed Naruto carefully. "But, if you're that **eager** to switch seats, then I wouldn't mind having you sit at the very front of the class, right beside me." Kakashi turned towards the vacant chair located at the front left corner of the room, next to the window.

This made Naruto slump down his chair without any more complains. His anger dissipated and only annoyance remained. He didn't want to sit next to his sensei. No way was that happening! The only thing he could do now was to keep a close eye on the new student and make sure that he wouldn't do anything that would violate his precious Hinata-chan.

"So, what's it going to be?" Kakashi gave Naruto a fake smile.

Naruto merely turned away from his sensei stubbornly and scoffed, mumbling incoherently.

Ami who inwardly growled since she didn't become the center of attention, simply placed an innocent and cheerful façade on herself, and giggled as she waved to her crush. "Bye, Sasuke-kun! I have to go to class. See you later!" She smiled, making most of the guys sigh dreamily and the girls groan in annoyance. She pouted when Sasuke didn't seem to notice her feeble attempts to get his attention.

Glancing at the golden wall clock located above the preoccupied Kakashi, she ran to the door, but stopped as she realized she was missing something. Turning to the new student, she also waved at him, giving him a flirty smile, "I'll see you later, Sai-kun!"

Sai smiled back and nodded silently.

"Bye, Kakashi-sensei!" Ami giggled in a high pitched voice as she ran out of the door, running towards the direction of her classroom.

Kakashi merely nodded his head. "Now, where were we…" he muttered, picking up the orange book lying on his desk, as he flipped the pages until he got to the part of the book where he had left off. He brought the book closer to his face, as he started chuckling, his eye glinting with pervertedness, as he started leering at the book.

The class could only sigh at their sensei's actions. He's back to his old perverted self again. It seems like their class was at long last back to normal.

* * *

Sakura could hear faint voices in her head. She didn't see anybody―not that she needed to―but only the familiar voices as a painful memory replayed itself in her head.

"_You like him, don't you?" a girlish voice said coldly._

"_Then again, that ugly girl, Tsubasa's always with him," a second voice said, but it wasn't as cold as the first one. It was more of a high pitched girlish one._

"_Yeah, they're always together. Is it possible that they're… going out?" a third voice asked nosily._

"_Then, there's only one thing left to do," the first voice said, chuckling maliciously. "We'll teach her a lesson―"_

STOP!

_"We'll beat her so badly that she'll think twice before messing with us," the first voice said thoughtlessly._

STOP IT!

_"Because no one has the right to take what's ours, right―"_

SHUT UP!

* * *

Getting frantic, Sakura suddenly bolted up from her seat and slammed her hands on her desk stridently. This instantly attracted the entire class's attention towards her. Most of them were frowning at her direction, some were whispering towards one another about her outburst, and some just gave her a silent gaze.

Even her fiancée's attention became focused at her standing figure in front of him. He stared at her back impassively, but his mind was being bombarded by questions. _What the hell? What's wrong with her?_

Sakura balled her hands into fists as she glared towards the direction of her desk because of the fact that her head was down, and her gaze was already focused on her desk even before her outburst. She gritted her teeth in anger, as confused thoughts ran through her head. _Why here? Why now? Why do I have to remember that incident now of all times? I don't understand…_

"Haruno-san?" Her sensei's voice brought her back to reality as she looked up to face him. "Is there something wrong?" Kakashi asked, placing his book on his desk while giving his said student a worried glance.

Sakura averted her gaze to the polished floor, her eyes downcast. Immediately, she thought of an excuse, but sadly she only succeeded in arousing everyone's suspicion even more as she stuttered. "I-I was just… I… I was just trying to…" she sighed in defeat as she gave up on thinking of an excuse for she couldn't think of anything reasonable that would stop everyone from looking at her and diverting their interest away from her. "I'm sorry," she lowered her head in shame as she sat down silently without any more words said.

Hinata merely watched her best friend as she sat down her emerald orbs downcast. Her lavender orbs narrowed worriedly. How could she **not **worry? She didn't know what was going on with her best friend, and what's worse, Sakura didn't act like this.

She was more of a cheerful girl who didn't care whatever the world thought of her. She did things without any ounce of shame or embarrassment, considering that no one paid any attention to her. She prefered to be in the sidelines rather than the center of attention. And most of all, Sakura didn't just arbitrarily do something that would attract everyone's attention towards her. It wasn't like her. It was like her at all.

_Sakura-chan,_ Hinata thought with a concerned sigh.

"Hinata-san?" a voice called from beside her in a soft whisper that only she heard.

"Eh? A-Arisugaki-san?" Hinata squeaked in surprise as she averted her gaze away from her best friend towards her new seatmate, who was looking at her while resting his chin at the back of his hand. His elbow was supporting most of the weight of his upper body.

When he saw the timid girl turn towards him, he smiled at her―more like a smirk―that unconsciously made the girl lower her head slightly, flushing a bit. "May I ask who that girl who just stood up is?"

Hinata immediately forgot her embarrassment as soon as he mentioned her best friend. However, her voice still held every ounce of nervousness that she had when talking to a stranger, considering that Sai was someone she just met a few minutes ago. After all, this was the very first time they had ever exchanged words with each other. "H-her name's H-Haruno S-Sakura. S-she's m-my… b-b-best friend." Hinata didn't think that Sai needed to know the last part, but the words just seemed to flow through her mouth like a waterfall without her knowing.

Sai nodded, "I see. Oh, and you don't need to be so formal with me, Hinata-san. Just call me Sai." He smiled at Hinata once more as the girl immediately turned away, but nodded nonetheless.

Naruto could only glare at Sai's direction, while the said guy just had a thoughtful expression on his face that clearly wasn't paying any attention at all to the lesson that was being taught by their perverted sensei, who had—at long last—set his perverted book aside to teach his students. He seemed to be in deep thought as his shaded dark orbs held a faraway gaze even thought it seemed to be fixed on the notebook lying on his desk.

Naruto was mumbling curses as he tried to think of a way to make the new student suffer in the most painful way possible. His vulgar thoughts ceased as he noticed Sai taking a glance at a certain pink haired girl located at the other side of the classroom every once in a while until the class was over.

And that was when the real trouble began…

* * *

The bell rung, indicating that first period was over. Most of the students had already packed their belongings to move on to their next classes. Sakura merely watched as her other classmates started going out of the door. She sighed, deciding to do the very same thing.

She stood up from her seat as a sigh escaped her lips once more. She mentally slapped herself for being so careless and letting everyone see the side of her that they wouldn't understand―not that they would give their valuable time to try and understand what was going on through her head.

When her things were packed she lifted her backpack and started walking out of the classroom, but stopped and glanced behind her as she saw her timid best friend walking up to her. Sakura gave her a small smile and waved at her direction.

When Hinata had finally caught up with her best friend, she gave her a concerned look that Sakura dismissed with another smile. "Sakura-chan, is something wrong? You weren't acting like yourself during class."

"I'm fine. I was just―tired, that's all," Sakura assured her, faking another smile that would reassure her friend with her claims.

Hinata wasn't convinced, though. She knew something was up, and she also knew that Sakura wouldn't tell her, even if Hinata tried to pester her about it. And pestering other people wasn't Hinata's style, so she decided to let it slide, hoping that Sakura would tell her about her problems in the future.

"Hinata-chan! Sakura-chan!" a gleeful voice called, as the said girls turned around to find a spiky blonde boy approaching them. Somehow, Sakura was softening towards the blonde boy, and had started treating him kindly. She hated to admit it, but she was actually starting to become friends with the guy. It was one of those friendships that started before you realized it. She still bashed him on the head sometimes, though… that was, if Naruto started saying ridiculous and unecessary things.

Before Naruto could approach them any further, a hand grabbed the collar of his shirt―just like what happened earlier―making him gag for air as he stood still.

The grip on Naruto's collar loosened, letting him breathe in some air. As he took a deep breath, enjoying the relief that the oxygen gave his lungs, a deadly voice spoke from behind him, "Where do you think you're going?"

Naruto had to force back a snicker if he wanted to keep his neck intact. "Relax, teme, I was only greeting them. I wasn't planning on spreading your" —Naruto didn't restrain himself from grinning at the look on his best friend/rival's face. He tilted his head to glance at Sasuke's facial expression only to see the Uchiha glaring daggers in his direction— "_secret_…"

Sasuke narrowed his onyx orbs dangerously, daring Naruto to say another word, and he wouldn't've hesitated on sending the blonde boy flying across the room.

Being the daring―or rather courageously foolish individual that he was, he decided to irritate the already annoyed Uchiha even further, "But if you want… being the overprotective person you are―you can come with me to make sure that I won't say anything." Naruto shrugged as he approached the two girls, who were frowning in their direction in confusion. Apparently, they didn't understand―or rather―hear a word that they had been saying.

Sasuke merely scoffed in disdain as he followed Naruto shortly, approaching Sakura, and Hinata, as well.

When the two boys were a good distance from the two girls to engaged each other in a conversation, Sakura spoke, "What were you two talking about back there that you had to take that long?"

"Oh, Sasuke-teme was merely telling me how much he―" Naruto didn't get to finish his sentence as a fist abruptly smacked him on the head before even doing so.

Naruto groaned in pain as he rubbed his throbbing head, giving his best friend a glare. "Ow, I wasn't going to tell her that, teme!"

"Tell me what?" Sakura asked with a frown on her features.

Naruto turned towards her with a grin, immediately forgetting his grudge towards his best friend for punching him on the head earlier. "Sasuke-teme and I were just talking about how happy he was that he met me. He says that without me, he would feel like something was missing in his life."

This earned Naruto another smack on the head, but it was much harder this time. Now, Naruto felt a bit woozy that he had to shake his head to keep himself from fainting right on the spot because of the force of Sasuke's powerful and uncontrolled punch. Yes, Sasuke wasn't restraining his strength when he pounded Naruto. It was amazing that he could still stand up from the powerful blow.

"Agh! Hey!" Naruto glared at Sasuke, the grudge towards the Uchiha resurfacing in his mind once more. However, this time, his grudge towards the Uchiha had been doubled, since Naruto had been punched by Sasuke twice in a row now.

Sasuke merely glanced at him with a cold stare. "You know, coming from you, that sounded quite wrong."

This time, Naruto's glare softned up as he eyed Sasuke slyly with a mocking grin appearing on his lips. "Is it possible you're getting perverted, teme? Wow, I never knew that you were really―"

Again, not letting Naruto complete his sentence, Sasuke silently socked him on his noggin, without any remorse as he heard the blonde boy curse in pain.

"Wow, I never knew about that. Maybe that's why the infamous Uchiha Sasuke has never accepted a date before from any of his fangirls," Sakura drawled slyly as she eyed her fiancée with pure mockery, a taunting smirk on her lips.

Naruto turned towards her with a foxy grin. Apparently, taunting Sasuke was the cure for the pain that he was feeling right now. He wanted to annoy the Uchiha as much as he could, and teaming up with Sakura was a good opportunity. Naruto chuckled, "I wonder who's the guy that he's infatuated with…?"

Hinata winced slightly, seeing her childhood crush being socked again by the Uchiha. Poor Naruto. The blonde boy was apparently cursing bloody murder towards the Uchiha, which Sasuke was ignoring completely and effortlessly.

Even with the current situation that Naruto was in, Sakura replied, giving the two boys an answer that they both never expected: "I think you would be talking about his older brother."

Sadly, Naruto's vision shook when a solid fist socked his noggin once more. "What the heck? Why did you smack me instead of her? I didn't say it―she did!" Naruto protested with colorful curses flying through the air. He was right, he didn't say anything. He didn't deserve to get hit, but alas, he did.

Sasuke's onyx orbs narrowed coldly as he glanced at Naruto before answering: "Because you were the one closest to me, that's why."

Naruto gave a low growl, unimpressed by the answer that his best friend had given him. Such a cruel world.

Hinata breathed out a sigh as she heard another argument going on between the two boys in front of her. Sadly, her childhood crush was losing the squabble quite badly, since the Uchiha had made sly comebacks and Naruto could only curse bloody murder towards the stoic Uchiha.

Sakura merely watched as the two boys squabbled to their hearts content with an unreadable expression on her face. Apparently, their squabble seemed to be quite a good source of entertainment for her, and it only made her curious on who would win the argument in the end.

"Ah! Sai-kun! Ready to go!" a familiar high pitched voice squealed right from the door leading to one of the hallways of the school. This made Hinata and Sakura avert their gazes from the arguing duo―who were at the verge of clobbering each other until the other couldn't stand anymore―towards the flirty and popular girl, Watanabe Ami.

Sakura involuntarily shivered with just a mere glance at the said girl who entered the room with a flirty smile on her face. _Her mere existence is bad enough…_ Sakura thought with a disdainful sigh. _Oh great… why does she have to be here?_

As she heard the girl beside her sigh, Hinata momentarily glanced at her best friend with a thoughtful expression on her face.

Immediately forgetting her duties as an escort for the day, Ami practically flung herself towards Sasuke, which made the Uchiha immediately forget about the argument that he was having with his best friend.

Turning towards Ami's direction, he caught her before she fell to the ground—taking him with her. You could say that it was the work of his excellent reflexes—which he wasn't giving any thanks for today—much to his annoyance. He didn't want Ami to think that he was softening up to her because it was quite the opposite—he was getting to the point where he wanted to run away whenever she came within seeing distance. Sometimes he hated himself for being too soft when it came to girls.

"Sasuke-kun," Ami couldn't help but giggle in delight as she realized what the Uchiha had done. He actually cared for her. "Oh, Sasuke-kun, you're so sweet!" Ami squealed as she threw her arms around his neck.

Sasuke merely turned his head away, and grumbled mentally, _Not really._

_I want to clobber her _**so **_bad,_Sakura thought, her temple twitching in exasperation. She didn't know why her hatred towards Ami had taken up a notch, and it only made her even more exasperated.

Seeing Ami's arms around her fiancée and seeing her fiancée do nothing to pry the girl off―even though it was very obvious that he didn't enjoy the attention that Ami was giving him―made her brutal fascination of sending Ami flying across the room elevate into something much more sinister.

Sakura turned away from them―she was truly disgusted by the sight ―and looked out the window. Now, Sakura had to restrain herself from sending Ami flying out of the window and practically falling down from the fifth floor. It was an evil thought, but Sakura couldn't help but enjoy daydreaming about it.

Hinata couldn't help but cringe from fright as she watched her best friend's lips's suddenly quirk into an evil smirk. _Is it just me, or am I sensing an evil aura emitting from her?_ Hinata laughed in a soft yet uneasy manner.

Naruto eyed the Hyuuga heiress as she watched her best friend with a sweatdrop. He tried to think up of a conversation, but sadly, couldn't find one in mind. Still not knowing what to say to the timid girl standing a few steps before him, he was about to approach her only to have someone beat him to it.

"Hinata-san," a familiar voice called, making the said girl whirl around to face the person that called her.

Naruto knew who it was. How could he forget? It was that despicable and detestable new student―

"A… A-arisugaki… s-san…" Hinata greeted with a bow.

Sai merely chuckled at her courtesy when he approached her. "Didn't I tell you already, Hinata-san? Just call me Sai." He smiled at her, which made Hinata flush, making her more nervous than before at his presence.

"A… ah… h-hai… S-sai… san…" Hinata averted her gaze from his face, and instead lowered it to the ground. Sai just smiled at her even though she didn't notice—since her attention was focused on the shiny marble floor—that it had succeeded in reflecting her image.

Naruto couldn't take it anymore. His blood was boiling with jealousy and disgust. He didn't like the way the new student―Sai―was smiling at **his **Hinata-chan. He didn't like the way he made her blush everytime he smiled at her. He didn't like the way that he got to sit next to her in class, while he was invited to sit next to their perverted sensei. In fact, he hated that darn Arisugaki Sai to the bloody core!

"What do you want?" Naruto asked rudely, pouring out every ounce of hatred that he felt for Sai into a hateful glare.

Sai looked at him from the corner of his eye, and then turned his head to face him. His face was blank, but abruptly changed as he met Naruto's glare with a smile. Ignoring the snarl that Naruto sent him, Sai kept an unaffected countenance, even throught the negative vibes that Naruto kept giving him.

"My, my, don't tell me you're still mad at me for stealing the seat that you were dying to have. Why don't you sit there now? There's no one here to stop you. Since I don't need it anymore, you can have all the time that you want to sit in the seat of your dreams. Just remember to give it back to me before class tomorrow," Sai spoke casually, the smile on his face still evident.

Naruto's cerulean orbs widened momentarily and immediately narrowed in anger as he glared at Sai through gritted teeth, a growl escaping from his lips. "Why you―! I've had enough of hearing your arrogant mouth!" Balling his hand right hand into a fist, he brought it back, prepared to launch a powerful punch towards Sai―in which Sai merely crooked an amused eyebrow calmly―when a hand shot up before him, effectively stopping him.

Naruto blinked in confusion as he recognized the person that stopped him from committing violence. "S… Sakura… chan…?"

"Naruto, stop," Sakura ordered calmly and softly, facing him so that their eyes locked―cerulean ones and viridian ones. "You wouldn't want to be in trouble again, now, would you? You just got out of detention. The least you can do is restrain yourself from earning yourself another one."

Slowly, Naruto nodded. He lowered his fist gradually to his side, turning away from Sakura.

Sakura turned around after she was sure that Naruto had calmed down and smiled apologetically towards Sai. "I'm sorry if you witnessed Naruto's… violent side. He isn't usually like this, I'm sorry." Sakura bent her body forward and bowed.

Sai shook his head as Sakura straightened her back up to stand up straight. "No, no, it's fine really." Sai gave her a reassuring smile. Sakura merely gave him a small smile in response.

"You must be Haruno Sakura, right?" Sai asked with a smile.

She merely nodded silently, a confused expression on her face. "Ah, yes. Why do you ask?"

Before she knew it, the boy before her bent down on one knee. He took her right hand in his and with his eyes closed, he brought it to his warm lips, placing a small kiss at the back of it. Sakura blushed as her viridian orbs widened at Sai's sudden actions. She unconciously brought her free hand to her chest. She could even feel his steady breathing on the back of her hand, tickling her skin.

_What is he doing?_ Sakura thought in shock, but didn't move an inch to take her hand out of his grip. She was too shocked for her mind to think straight at the moment. Her heart was pounding quite loudly in her ears, or was she just feeling it?

Sai opened his eyes and looked up to see Sakura's blushing face. He smiled at her―or was it one of his hidden smirks―and said, "Would you do me the honor of escorting me for the remainder of the day and showing me around the school?"

Naruto, Hinata and Ami gasped as they stared owlishly at Sai―who was still kneeling in front of Sakura, while keeping her petite hand in his grasp.

"WHAT!" Naruto and Ami exclaimed simultaneously, apparently shocked by what Sai had just said. It was a good thing that they were the last ones left in the class.

"Eh?" Hinata merely gasped in shock, realizing what Sai had said. She was confused, really confused. Sai's past actions just made her even more baffled.

Sasuke was merely silent as he eyed the new student hold his fiancée's hand graciously. No one knew what he was thinking at the moment. No one knew if he was even thinking at this very moment. All that he showed was an impassive expression that was quite unreadable of what he was feeling.

Ami growled viciously, unwrapping her arms from Sasuke's neck, which Sasuke couldn't help but sigh in relief. She took a step away from Sasuke―towards Sakura and Sai's direction―and started ranting vulgar words, contaminating the air. "WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU ASKING THAT UGLY BITCH FOR! ** I** WAS THE ONE ASSIGNED TO BE YOUR ESCORT! THAT'S **MY **JOB! YOU DON'T NEED TO ASK THIS ARROGANT BITCH TO BE YOUR ESCORT!"

Sakura's gaze merely contained a hint of annoyance as she tilted her head to the side, away from the intense gaze that Sai was giving her.

Noticing that the strawberry haired girl's attention wasn't focused on him anymore, he loosened his grip on Sakura's hand and released her petite hand. "I didn't think you still wanted to do it, Ami-san. Seeing as you completely ignored me, at the sight of your dream boy."

Sakura frowned in confusion as she glanced at Sai's direction. _What the hell? Is he implying that he actually likes her?_ That was something Sakura didn't need. She didn't want to be used by a random guy she just met so that he could make the **girl** of his dreams jealous. No way was that happening.

Ami's eyes fluttered dreamily, all aflutter by the fact that the handsome, not to mention gorgeous new student had his eye on her. Oh, this day just couldn't seem to get any better. First, Sasuke was softening up to her―maybe, he'll even propose to her in the future―and now, the new student practically confessed that he was interested in her. _Oh my, are Sasuke-kun and Sai-kun going to fight for me. _Ami mentally gasped, _My charms are the best ones yet. Oh, I'm so good! But―the only one I love is Sasuke-kun!_

Ami faked a sigh as she brought her hand to her chest, completing her angelic façade. "I'm really sorry Sai-kun." _I may have to break his heart now, but I could still give you a piece of me… in time,_ she mentally chuckled insanely. When she was able to calm down, she continued her confession, "I only have interest for―"

But Sai struck Ami speechless when laughter came out of his lips. Well, actually, it was more of a chuckle. His sudden action had left Ami completely silent, as she couldn't bring herself to say her confession while Sai was laughing at her.

She needed to know what was wrong with him. "Why are you laughing?" Ami asked, her voice stained with hints of annoyance. She was irritated that he was laughing at her. What was so funny?

Sai continued to chuckle, but it stopped after a while. When his laughter ceased, the smile on his face was the only thing left that irritated Ami. It was the kind of smile that she didn't like. "I'm sorry. I think you're making a mistake. I must be confusing you because I don't like you in that kind of way."

It was a smile of rejection.

Sai continued to smile. However, his smile didn't look as friendly as before. It was clearly a taunting smile. "As I was saying, I would prefer for Sakura-san to escort me since you seem to be too busy daydreaming of a certain someone. I can just tell Tsunade-sama that Sakura-san will be the one escorting me upon request."

Ami balled her hands into fists and glared at Sakura's direction. Sakura looked back at Ami calmly without even flinching, which made the purple haired girl even more iritated. She scoffed, and then calmed down after a few moments. "The forehead girl can't even do the job without embarrasing you in front of the school. She's a complete embarassment to Konoha High. So, how do you think she would be able to even do that job the way you want?" Ami sneered at Sakura, while giving Sai a sly smile.

_Talk about vile… and selfish_, Sakura thought flatly. _Thank goodness we're not friends anymore. Wait a minute, since when had we even become friends?_ No, she wasn't offended in any way. She was just mildly amused by Ami's attempts to be on top―to be more superior than her.

The smile on Sai's face dissipated as he glanced momentarily at Sakura before turning back to the smirking Ami. He then gave her a smile that matched her smirk. His smile was unreadable and hollow.

This made Ami nervous. _What the hell is he planning?_ Still trying to put on a greater façade, Ami tried to keep her sly smirk as convincing as possible.

But that didn't seem to bother Sai as he said calmly, "You know what I think." Sai paused, waiting for Ami to react, which she did. Her gaze intensified, urging him to continue. And thus, he did, "I think that she wouldn't do the job any **worse** that **you** would."

Naruto and Sakura gaped in shock. Did Sai just say what they thought he said? Hinata merely whimpered, taking a step back, fearing the worst. She knew what was going to happen next. She didn't really like it when people started fighting against each other. She was more of a peacemaker, but at this time, it would be wiser to step away from the fuming Ami and the calm, collected Sai. And that, was what she did.

Hinata continued to step backwards until she was a good distance away from the enraged purple haired girl, and the calm dark haired boy―which was right behind her childhood crush, the spiky blonde boy, Naruto.

Ami stood there gaping silently from shock at what she had just heard. But a moment later, she clenched her fists tightly into a ball. "How dare you! How dare you insult me!" She glared at Sai furiously. "Who do you think I am!"

Sai merely raised a dark eyebrow, and replied slyly and sardonically, "A spoiled and arrogant little girl that thinks that everyone loves her, when in reality, it's quite the opposite."

Ami's eyes widened, on hearing Sai's words. Her anger dissipated, replaced by shock and confusion, which showed clearly on her face. She couldn't say anything. Her body wouldn't let her do or say anything to defend herself. The only thing she could do was stand there… silently.

Sai's eyes narrowed tauntingly in Ami's direction. "It's sad, that you try so hard to get the person who you're infatuated with, even though you know very well that his feelings for you will never change. Even when you're around your fellow schoolmates, you only pay attention to the 'positive' feelings that other people will show you and then tend to ignore the negative ones, which are far greater tha ―"

"SHUT UP!" Ami yelled, cutting Sai off before he even finished with his sentence. She didn't want to hear another word. She refused to listen. No, she would never listen. She would not listen to another word. "You know nothing about me…" her voice was low with great solemnity and fury, "… loser," she continued as she ran out of the door without looking back.

Sakura couldn't help but blink in astonishment. A new student had made the infamous Watanabe Ami run away, with merely a handful of words. _That's a first_, Sakura thought dryly.

"Sakura-san," Sai said, breaking Sakura out of her trance as she looked at him. With a smile back on his lips―like nothing had happened―he said, "Will you escort me around now? We have wasted too much time already."

It took a while before Sakura was able to register his words in her mind. Nodding slowly, she replied reluctantly, "Er… sure…"

"Well then," he said as he walked out of the door, making the first move. He stopped when he was at the doorway, and turned around to wait for her.

Sakura turned towards Hinata, who in turn glanced past Naruto's shoulder to look at her best friend. "Hinata, I'll see you during lunch then," she called back, and waving goodbye, Sakura ran towards Sai, and they both walked out of the classroom.

There was a couple of minutes of silence. No one spoke. They were too shocked by the things that had just happened that it took a while for their minds to process the said events. At last, after a minute or so, someone spoke.

"Well… that was entertaining," Sasuke said flatly.

Naruto snorted wryly as he glared at Sasuke. "Ya think!"

* * *

At long last, lunch time came. This was a great relief for Sakura, because no matter how friendly Sai seemed to be towards her, she couldn't help but feel uneasy towards him. No, she didn't hate him. She just felt this weird feeling when she was around him.

Today, Sakura and Hinata had decided to eat their lunch at the cafeteria. Since they had the new student under their care―it was more under Sakura's care―they decided not to eat at the rooftop. That was the place where the two girls usually talked in private. It was a special place for the two of them, and they would rather keep it a secret from anyone other than themselves at the moment.

The three of them sat together at a table in the cafeteria. Sakura sat in the middle, while Hinata sat on her right and Sai on her left.

Hinata felt really awkward, even though Sakura was the one sitting beside her. Sakura wasn't the only one that Sai had an affect on; Hinata also felt really uneasy whenever he was around. So, here they were, eating silently but apprehensively.

Suddenly, Sakura stood up, making both Sai and Hinata momentarily cease their movements and look up towards her. "Um… where are you going, Sakura-chan?" Hinata asked carefully.

Hinata hoped that her best friend wouldn't do what she was thinking… but to Hinata's displeasure, she was.

Sakura gave her a small smile as her shining green eyes turned to each of her companions on the table as she spoke, "I'm just going to the washroom. I'll be back, okay." That said, she walked away from the two of them and out of the cafeteria.

Hinata sighed softly. Just her luck, she just had to be stuck with the new student, Arisugaki Sai again. It was enough that she spent her first period class sitting right beside him, but now, she had to be left alone with him. Just great.

* * *

He hated this. Why did he have to agree with Naruto's stupid deal? Why the hell did he do that again? Oh yeah, he was blackmailed by that dobe. Great, just great. How could he have been so careless as to get blackmailed by Naruto?

Now, he had to endure sitting with Naruto's… er… 'friends' at the cafeteria. What's worse was that he would have to sit with them throughout the whole year now. Great, even better!

"Yo, look who decided to join us!" Naruto greeted his colleagues with a smug grin on his face, when they reached a certain table.

A rich cholocate haired boy with two red marks at each side of his face where his cheekbones were located, which continued downwards and ended near his chin. "Well look who it is…" he smirked.

Sasuke merely grunted in response.

"So… what… brings you… here?" another voice said, but it was muffled because he was gobbling up some potato chips from the bag he was holding.

Sasuke didn't respond. When he saw Naruto take a seat at the very edge of the table, he took a vacant seat opposite him. He wanted to be as silent as possible. He didn't want to talk to them, but their sets of questions were pursuading him to give them the answers that they wanted.

He didn't want to sit with these people. He had enough with just hanging out with Naruto, but hanging out with Naruto's friends was just too much for him to handle.

Sitting at the other end of the table along Naruto's row was Nara Shikamaru. He was a lazy ass, but he had one heck of a brain. He was the grand champion throughout the whole neighborhood in the game, Shogi. He was a member of the Shogi club. Heck, with his skills, it was a surprise that he wasn't the president of the club, even though he was still a junior.

How was he able to enroll into Konoha High, despite the extremely high tuition? Well, he may not look like it, but his parents are actors. His mother, Yoshino Nara is a famous movie star in Japan. She's sweet when in front of the camera, but when in front of her family, she's a darn strict woman. Beautifully sweet and beautifully strict. His father, was another actor. But his father wasn't just any actor, but a famous action star. He was admired not only for his smooth moves, but also for the fact that he didn't need any stuntmen for his stunts. He did it all himself.

Sitting two chairs away from him was the one that greeted him first, Inuzuka Kiba. He was arrogant, and always trying to be on top. Even though he had a superiority complex, he was still there with Naruto whenever the blonde boy had a couple of pranks in his mind. They had even been given a signature name called 'Double Trouble'. The funny thing was that Naruto and Kiba couldn't stand each other, but when it came to pranking, all their bickering always became momentarily forgotten, with their minds focused on the prank at hand.

It could even be a shock how Inuzuka Kiba was able to go to such an affluent school as Konoha High. No one could believe that his family owned many successful and well known hospitals around the world. They weren't just any kind of hospitals. They were hospitals for animals. Apparently, the Inuzukas started the 'Inuzuka Pet Care Hospital', and with the help of some unknown ties, they were able to create one of the most successful pet hospitals in the world.

Sitting right in between Shikamaru and Naruto was the 'big boned', Akimichi Chouji. He was someone who would eat 24/7 if he could. You wouldn't see him without a bag of potato chips in his hands. If you do, that would be one heck of a miracle. It made everyone think that the whole day was his lunchtime. They weren't allowed to eat in class, but that didn't stop Chouji from sneaking a couple―not really―of pieces of chips, and eating them when the sensei isn't looking. He was best friends with Nara Shikamaru, and that was a mystery that Sasuke was still trying to figure out. It never occurred to him that a lazy ass could be best friends with a… fat ass.

Who was he to talk? He was best friends with an ignorant and naïve idiot, while he was a handsome―maybe, a little self-centered, but then again, nobody's perfect―and from a famously rich and powerful family, the Uchiha clan. People were bound to be gossiping farfetched theories on how they even became best friends.

Well, one could probably guess how the Akimichis were able to get a lot of dough. Yes, it's because they own restaurants around the world. The most straightforward restaurants in the whole world called, 'Akimichi Restaurant'. Well, isn't that just blunt. What made the Akimichis' restaurants a success wasn't their lame name making. It was because of how well they cook. Heck, they were geniuses when it came to cooking (and maybe eating). Their businesses went well, and it continued to expand until, now, their businesses were known all around the world.

"If you don't want to be here so much, then go ahead and leave. I don't like dealing with troublesome people," Shikamaru stated with a fed up look on his face.

"Who said that I wanted to leave?" Sasuke asked with a smirk on his face. He didn't like other people telling him what to do. Even though what Shikamaru said was true―he really didn't want to be here―he wouldn't agree to his demands. He did things his own way.

Shikamaru grunted, "Hn, suit yourself. How troublesome…"

"Shikamaru, you have to get used to seeing him during lunch now, because he'll be staying with us for the rest of the year," Naruto snickered.

"For real," Kiba gaped in shock. When he saw Naruto give a nod, Kiba turned towards Sasuke―who was sitting two seats away from him―and patted him on the back―much to Sasuke's annoyance.

"Welcome to the group, man!" Kiba grinned.

Sasuke merely grunted mentally, _I don't want to be welcomed…_

* * *

Sakura went out of the washroom with a sigh escaping her lips. She had been out of it in the washroom. Arisugaki Sai… the name reminded her of something, but what? She had been trying to recall what that name reminded her of, but to no avail. That name was still a mystery to her… and Arisugaki Sai would still **be **a mystery to her.

"Sakura," a deep yet gentle voice said as Sakura walked out of the girls' washroom.

Invading her privacy, and startled by the new voice, Sakura had only one reaction.… She screamed.

Sakura shrieked as she whirled around to see her older brother―with his eyes closed―leaning against the wall beside the girl's washroom. He must have been waiting for her.

Sakura sighed in relief, thankful that it wasn't some stalker. Well, it's not like she would be a victim of a stalker while looking like she did anyway.

Gaara opened his eyes, looking at his little sister serenely. "What?"

"W-why are you here? What are you doing standing beside the girls' washroom?" Sakura's eyebrows creased into a frown at her older brother, who was still leaning on the wall.

Gaara merely remained stoic as he pushed himself away from the wall to stand up straight. "So, you have a new student, eh?"

Sakura's frown deepened. "How did you know that?" she asked warily.

Gaara shrugged idly. "You should know that a rumor is quickly spreading, and I believe that the source is coming from the female students in your class." Gaara paused as he glanced to the side, looking out for anyone that might interrupt their conversation. "They were saying something about, 'A new student who looks just like Uchiha Sasuke has enrolled at Konoha High'."

"Looks like… Sasuke…" Sakura thought out loud as she repeated what her older brother had said. That was when it hit her. Of course! That's why Arisugaki Sai looked familiar. That's why Sai always gave her this uneasy feeling. He looked just like her fiancée. Great―just great! She had enough worrying about her arrogant and irritating fiancée and that stupid bet that his older brother had given her. She didn't need another person who looked just like him.

Sai would just remind her of him. So, that was the reason why she saw Sasuke, looking at her with a smug look on his face earlier whenever she happened to glance at the new student. This was even better. _The last thing I need is to be given more moments to think about him. I don't want to think about that―stupid bet. Pure thoughts about that pathetic excuse of a fiancée of mine is ruining my brain!_

Gaara tilted his head back to gaze at his little sister. He noticed that she was in deep thought because her gaze was focused on the marble floor they were standing on. She seemed to be irritated about something. When Gaara heard a low growl escaping from Sakura's lips, that was when he decided to speak once again. "I don't like him."

When Gaara's voice reached Sakura's ears, she was brought back to reality. She looked up, and blinked at him in confusion. "Eh? Who?"

"New student," Gaara elaborated.

Sakura laughed nervously. Her older brother was being overprotective again, wasn't he? "Really?"

Gaara's gaze became firm, and his eyes narrowed. "Yeah. Stay away from him."

"And how is that reasonable enough for me to stay away from him?" Sakura asked nonchalantly with a sigh.

"Simple. I don't trust him. I don't like him. Stay away from him. End of discussion," Gaara said with scornful firmness.

Sakura's shoulders slumped when she heard her brother's words. The overprotective side was resurfacing again. "I should tell you that my job is to escort him around Konoha High. So, you know that I can't do what you―"

Before Sakura could even finish her sentence, Gaara interrupted, "Then, give the job to someone else. I'm sure that there'll be plenty of other girls who are willing to take it," he responded sardonically.

Sakura sighed in defeat. There was no point in arguing with her older brother. Besides, he was older than her―by a year. Wasn't it an invisible rule that the younger sibling was sometimes always supposed to listen and do what the older sibling wanted?

Deciding to cut their conversation short, Sakura walked away from her older brother towards the direction of the cafeteria. She didn't bother saying goodbye for Gaara had called her back before she even got a chance to.

"Sakura," Gaara said, making the said girl stop dead in her tracks.

After stopping, Sakura turned around and silently stared at Gaara, waiting for him to speak. He did call her name for a reason, didn't he? So, there must be a valid reason why he still wanted to talk to her. Question was… about what exactly?

After a brief moment of silence, Gaara spoke, "Are you… still planning to visit **her** at the hospital this weekend?" This time, however, his voice wasn't firm or demanding. His voice was gentle and grave.

Sakura blinked, not expecting that question. A small smile suddenly crept up on her reddish pink lips. Gaara was always there for her. He was one of the four closest people who knew something about her that she had them swear not to tell anyone else―ever. And even knowing that secret, Gaara still accepted her and loved her despite of it. Even now, he stood by her side, and took every chance to protect her. They might tease and annoy each other every time they get a chance―which is what they would always do whenever they would meet―but there was no doubt that Gaara was the most overprotective one towards his little sister throughout their whole family. He may be irritating sometimes, but he was a loving brother.

Sakura nodded silently, not saying another word. She didn't wait to hear him reply. She turned around walked away without giving a second glance behind her.

Gaara understood. She didn't need to say anything. He watched carefully as she walked away from him towards the direction of the cafeteria… with a small, yet, noticable smile on her face.

_Don't push yourself too much, Sakura._

* * *

"Um…" Hinata sounded, her lavender orbs darting from side to side in uneasiness.

Sai, noticing her discomfort kept quiet about it and didn't say anything to tease her about it. He merely smiled at her, but it only succeeded in making Hinata even more nervous. His smile had an effect on making people think that he had something up his sleeves.

"What is it, Hinata-san?" Sai continued to smile with his full attention focused on her.

Hinata didn't want to be the center of his attention. It would only make his new fan club proclaim her as their first target, and Hinata didn't want any enemies. It would only make her life even more difficult.

She glanced at him one more time and then averted her gaze to the side. Twiddling her fingers together to ease her nervousness, she spoke softly. "Is it okay if I leave you for a bit; I have to give something to someone?"

"Let me guess. Is it for that boy Naruto?" Sai commented slyly, making Hinata flush in embarrassment. Sai merely chuckled at her honest reactions as he saw Hinata unconsciously bring her fingers to her lips. "Don't worry, I was just messing with you."

Hinata merely laughed nervously in response. The longer she spent time with this guy, the more embarrassed she became. She was hoping from the back of her mind that he wouldn't say 'no'.

Fate seemed to be on her side this time.

Sai nodded with a pleasant smile on his features, "Go ahead."

A smile, but still uneasy, appeared on the timid girl's lips. She bowed her head gratefully as she stood up and walked towards a specific table further in the cafeteria.

"Ah, I should go ahead and buy my ramen! I'll be right back." Naruto was about to stand up when he noticed a familiar figure arrive at one end of their table. Naruto turned towards the end where the figure was standing and took a good look at the person. Naruto's eyes widened momentarily, realizing who it was. Soon, his shocked expression was wiped out and a grin and a soft chuckle errupted from the blonde boy's lips.

"Ah! Hinata-chan! Nice to see you!" Naruto greeted with a wide grin on his face.

Kiba smirked, "Well, isn't this a change. What brings you here, Hinata?" Kiba asked as his coal orbs darted from Hinata's face as it grew scarlet towards what she was holding in her hands.

Her hands where being covered by the table since she tried to hide the object she was holding underneath it. They wouldn't see what she was holding unless they bent down and tried to peer underneath the table to see what was in her hands.

Naruto stood up, remembering what he was supposed to do until Hinata came. "Why don't you sit down, Hinata-chan?" Naruto placed his hand gently on her shoulder, whereas Hinata tried her best to keep her composure from slipping. The contact of his hand on her skin―not bare skin, there were clothes, of course, but still―was making her heart beat like crazy.

She didn't want to faint now with just a simple contact with her crush. She wanted to impress him. He didn't need to see more of her weak side. Even with his friends watching her every move, she had to calm down. She came here for a reason. She wouldn't go and back out now. If she wanted their relationship to make progress―even though they didn't really have any sort of romantic relationship whatsoever ―she had to make a move, or they really would get nowhere.

Before Naruto could walk away, Hinata gently grabbed his wrist, indicating him to stop. Obliging to her silent request, Naruto stopped and gave her a glance.

Bringing up a separate bento box in her hands, Hinata took Naruto's hands and placed the bento box on his palms. "Here. Take it."

Naruto blinked in confusion as a blush crept its way into his face, "Um… what is it?"

"Open it," Hianta muttered reluctantly, averting her gaze away from him.

Opening the lid of the bento box, Naruto couldn't help but gasp when his azure orbs absorbed the scrumptious food that his gaze was upon. Looking back at the timid Hyuuga before him, Naruto looked at her with an unreadable expression on his face. "Hinata-chan…"

Hinata couldn't look at Naruto in the eye. She casted her gaze towards the bento box in his hands instead. She gulped, afraid of what he might say after this. "It… might not be your favorite food, ramen… but I hope you'll like it nonetheless. I made it… myself."

Naruto looked at the bento box filled with a variety of foods. Well, it was healthier than a mere cup of ramen―that's for sure. Still, his expression remained unreadable. He didn't look neither happy… nor sad.

This made it even harder for Hinata to distinguish whether he liked her gift or not. Deciding for the worst, Hinata turned around and walked away, not even bothering to hear Naruto's opinion.

Before Hinata could move another step further, a hand enclosed itself on her wrist and gripped it gently but firmly, so that she wouldn't be able to pry it off easily. Glancing towards Naruto's direction, Naruto returned her dejected expression with a small smile on his lips.

"Ne, Hinata-chan, let's eat it together," Naruto suggested in a low, yet gentle voice.

Hinata blinked as she realized what Naruto meant. With a sincere smile on her lips, Hinata nodded her head without hesitation.

Naruto didn't need to say 'thank you' or compliment her cooking. He was an unpredictable person after all. Those words were enough. They might not be the ones Hinata was expecting him to say, but it was the ones that moved her heart the most.

When Sasuke saw Naruto sit back on his seat, he decided to let Hinata sit in his seat. Besides, he was sitting right across from Naruto. It was the perfect seat for Hinata, if she wanted to share a meal with Naruto. He stood up and started walking away from them.

Shikamaru noticing this, decided to state his point. "What were you saying that you 'didn't want to leave'?" Shikamaru inquired satirically.

Sasuke stopped walking as he tilted his head to glance at Shikamaru. His lips quirked into a smirk, "I didn't say that I wasn't coming back, now did I?" Satisfied with the silence that Shikamaru gave him for an answer, Sasuke walked away from them―out of the cafeteria.

"More like you didn't say anything to begin with," Shikamaru added with a sneer after the Uchiha had already left the cafeteria and was now out of sight.

* * *

Unfortunately for Sakura, her older brother's warnings didn't make much of an impact on her as she was now giving a tour around the school to Arisugaki Sai. When they met at the doors of the cafeteria, Sai had asked her to give him a tour around the school. They did have time, but Sakura didn't want to leave Hinata. Sai then told her that Hinata had left him because she wanted to spend time with her 'boyfriend'. Sakura merely blinked in confusion, not knowing that her timid best friend had a boyfriend that she had been unaware of.

Here they were, roaming around the school, while she had to introduce every single room they came upon. Being a tour guide was driving her insane. It was such a boring job that she couldn't stand it. She needed to get out of this… somehow.

Somehow all her irritation was lost when she remembered why she was put in this position in the first place.

_"Would you do me the honor of escorting me for the remainder of the day and showing me around the school?"_

It was then that it occurred to her. She had been confused about this since the time when he asked her to escort him. Why her? Why her of all people? Why did he chose her? She needed to know. She needed to find out. There was only one thing she could do to find out. She had to ask him.

Well, not that it was hard, right?

"Um… Sai-san?" Sakura asked as she came to a stop. Sai did the same as he turned towards her, coaxing her to continue whatever she wanted to say. His attention was focused on her, and he would pay attention to anything that she wanted to tell him… or was it ask him?

"Um… it's been bugging me for quite some time now," Sakura spoke as she averted her gaze from Sai's calm features to the marble floor. "Why did you choose me? You could have chosen anybody. Heck, you could've just stayed with Ami, but still, you chose me. Why?"

Her voice sounded very baffled and lost that this made Sai chuckle. A smile was sent to Sakura for the 10th time this day, "Do you want to know?"

Sakura couldn't help but feel like he was being derisive as he asked that. Was he mocking her by any chance? Still, she wanted to know. She wouldn't let him play with her like this. Slowly, she nodded her head, wanting him to answer her question.

Sai walked towards her. He stopped when he was standing in front of her. "Why? Because I couldn't believe that there could be a hag in this prosperous school full of good-looking women. It was a shock to me that an ugly person like you was shamelessly coming to this school full of fine young women. You seemed very out of place, so I chose you." Sai shrugged arrogantly.

Yup, he was indeed mocking her. And yes, he had indeed been playing her for a fool.

Sakura gave a low growl. How dare he? She was right! He was indeed another version of Uchiha Sasuke. Maybe, he was even worse than the Uchiha. Oh, how she wanted to beat him to a bloody pulp right now. She didn't give a damn about rules. She didn't care if he was indeed a new student. How dare he call her a 'hag'!

"Why you asshole!" Sakura glared at Sai furiously. "All along you've been playing me for a fool, haven't you?"

"Don't tell me you're offended just because I called you a 'hag' and 'ugly'. It is true isn't it? Then why would you be so offended by that. Why don't you just accept the fact and live with it because it will never change anyway. You'll always be 'ugly'," Sai continued, succeeding in pissing Sakura off even more.

That was it! She wanted to hold herself back even though her very core just wanted to inflict pain on the arrogant new student. Maybe, Naruto was right after all. Arisugaki Sai was an arrogant bastard. He had a foul mouth, and he wasn't afraid to use it. Now, she felt that she shouldn't have stopped Naruto from delivering a punch on Sai, because he definitely deserved it.

Like how he deserves one now.

With her anger getting the best of her, Sakura decided to finish what Naruto had started. She wanted to inflict pain on him―twice the pain. For both her and Naruto. She drew her hand back, preparing to deliver a punch towards Sai. Concealing all the force that she could muster into her fist, she delivered the punch towards Sai.

She was expecting him to dodge or even block, but he didn't. He merely stood there awaiting her punch with the same cocky smile on his face.

Sakura's fist didn't make contact with Sai's face because before that even happened, a hand held Sakura's fist back, stopping her attack. She looked at the intruder and gasped softly as she realized who it was. How could she forget? There was no way she would forget him.

"Sa-Sasuke…?" Sakura said his name unconsiously, staring owlishly at his figure. Behind him, was Naruto, staring at them silently, wide eyed.

Sasuke didn't react. He face remained as stoic as ever. When he noticed that his fiancée had calmed down, he released her fist. Both their hands went back to their sides.

"Didn't you tell Naruto earlier that it wouldn't be wise to punch a new student?" Sasuke asked, his face in the same stoic state that it was.

"Yeah, Sakura-chan. You said that it was out of line to punch a new student," Naruto pointed out with a confident grin. "So, you should control your temper."

Sakura kept silent and didn't answer the two of them. She merely lowered her gaze to the floor.

"Even if you were pissed because he insulted you, you shouldn't punch guys. It's very unladylike," Sasuke said, eyeing his fiancée closely. He turned away from her and brought his gaze to the new student. "Sorry about how she was acting."

Sai merely shrugged silently, with his smile still as smug as ever.

Sakura snapped her head up, annoyed by what she had just heard. A growl escaped her lips, "Unladylike? Since when did you even start caring about how I act."

Sasuke smirked, "That's because…"

Before Sakura knew it, Sai was already thrown on the floor a couple of feet away from them because of the impact of the punch that Sasuke gave him. She could hear Sai coughing because of the force of the punch. She wasn't looking at Sai though; she was gaping at her fiancée in shock.

Naruto was also doing the same thing. His mouth hung open, but no sound came out of his noisy mouth. He couldn't belive that Sasuke did what he just did. Naruto was supposed to be the one to do it first, but seeing Sasuke do it before him was too much of a shock for him. Sai didn't even insult the Uchiha in any way… yet.

"… I'm the only one who has the right to insult you," Sasuke continued nonchalantly as he watched Sai cough as an after effect of his punch.

His words brought Sakura back to reality as she shook her head. "What's the big idea? I didn't need your darn help!" Sakura spouted ungratefully as she glared at him.

Sasuke turned towards her when he heard her cursing at him once again. "Really now? Are you just pissed because he was able to manipulate you so **easily** and **effortlessly**?" He couldn't help but smirk as he saw Sakura's viridian orbs widen.

Growling and glaring at her raven haired fiancée, Sakura brought her hand back and swung it to deliver a slap on Sasuke's face. However, he caught her hand in time without any effort. Sakura could only blink as her heart fluttered unintentionally when their hands came into contact, flesh to flesh.

"Why are you so mad? Does being manipulated offend you that much?" Sasuke asked slyly, not making a motion to release Sakura's hand. He held hers firmly, yet gently enough that it wasn't hurting her.

Jerking her hand out of his grip, Sakura glared at Sasuke with her fists clenched. "I hate you," she spat out. She turned around and ran towards the opposite direction of the hallway. She needed to be somewhere away from both of them―Sasuke and Sai. She didn't want to see them, nor did she want to talk to them.

_"I know that it will only be a matter of time before you fall in love with him."_

Suddenly, Itachi's words rang into her head once more. She couldn't help but scoff scornfully. _Fall in love with that bastard? I don't think that will ever happen. Who would fall in love with a jerk such as that?_

Sakura chuckled at her next thought.

_I know I'm not one of them. I will never be…_

* * *

When Sakura's retreating back was now out of his sight, he heard a soft chuckling from behind him. Turning around, he saw Sai standing, continuing to chuckle softly. Sasuke retained his stoic expression, unaffected by Sai's sudden change of behavior.

"What are you laughing at?" Sasuke asked nonchantly, eyeing Sai indifferently.

When Sai's chuckling had ceased, he smirked when he noticed Sasuke's obsidian orbs penetrating through him with a cold stare. He walked up to him, and stopped when he was standing right beside the Uchiha. "I wonder… whether it was jealousy, or possessiveness that drove you to interfere." Sai scoffed, "Maybe, it was even both."

Sasuke remained impassive, ignoring Sai's taunting. Maybe… he didn't ignore it. Maybe… he just didn't care for the matter. A smirk materialized on his lips. "Neither… I interfered because I wanted to be the first one that would show you where you stand."

"And that is where… exactly?" Sai asked, apparently amused by Sasuke's response.

"You know where," Sasuke replied calmly, walking away. He momentarily stopped, only to finish his response. "But if you don't know what I'm talking about, then that would explain that you're only someone who has a big mouth―and nothing else."

Naruto was long forgotten, but was still gaping in shock. He didn't even notice that his best friend had already left him. Poor Naruto. It would take him… maybe… an hour to get out of his stiff stance.

**_TBC_**

**

* * *

A/N:** That… was the longest chapter I've ever written. OMG, that took me a week to do. I was too lazy, and its summer no less. I had nothing to do. Well, that was, until I got a job. Wee! Finally! I can finally buy the stuff that I want without having to ask my parents. They won't nag me anymore. Wee! ―cough― Anyway… hope this chapter was as humorous as you wanted it to.

Don't kill me! Sai might not play the role of courting Sakura to make Sasuke jealous so that he will confess to Sakura. That would be too predictable now, would it? He might become the antagonist in the fic (a bit) but he won't be like that for long. I won't disappoint you by making him this hatable character 'cause I like Sai myself. I just didn't like him before the Team 7 reunion because of his attitude. Now, I do!

Bear with me please. It's barely that you see Sai as the antagonist. He won't be that evil. Well, maybe a bit, but I assure you that he won't stay like that for the whole fic.

Also, you didn't expect Sai to sit beside Hinata, did you? Even my beta-reader thought that he would sit beside Sakura. That didn't happen. Since Naruto **hated** Sai in the beginning that's what I did. Sakura hated him too, so I did that as well. Except that now, Sasuke's here.

Okay, I'll stop talking now. Next chapter's preview!

**

* * *

Chapter 12―A Visit From The Past**

He was shocked to see her. It was her. The mystery girl that he met during the festival. It was odd that he would finally meet her in a place like this, and at a time like this. She was wearing something completely different from the time he met her during the festival.

Today, she was wearing something more casual and not quite so revealing clothes. She wore a three-fourth orange blouse with a sleeveless tangerine midriff oversweater with cords crisscrossing across the front, a red mini skirt and black knee socks with two red stripes on top.

Trying to remember who the girl that bumped into him was, made him forget his hatred towards his best friend completely. He tried and tried to dig inside his brain who the girl was. But…

"Who are you again?" Naruto asked the girl standing beside him.

**

* * *

NOTE: **That he over there in the preview is Sasuke. Sasuke and the 'mysterious' Sakura meets again. Oh my, second meeting. What will happen? Naruto seems to be forgetting people again. Oh well.

**Edit: **I tried re-reading it one more time and I just couldn't help but edit the beginning. It should be a nicer read this time.

**

* * *

Updated:** August 30, 2006


	12. A Visit from The Past

**Engagement On Hold**

**Summary:** (AU) Uchiha Sasuke is Konoha High's reigning prince. Haruno Sakura is…? Who is she again? What happens when the guy everybody knows finds himself engaged to the girl nobody knows?

**Genre: **Romance/Humor/Drama

**Pairings:** Sasuke/Sakura, Naruto/Hinata, Itachi/Sakura (What's wrong with me? I don't really know.)

**Author: **pei-chan

**Beta-reader:** Ruru Kitsuneko

**Disclaimer:** Wouldn't it be nice if Sasuke and Sakura were really engaged in the Naruto series? Then again, that would only occur in our dreams… ne?

**A/N:** How long has it been? Three months? Two and a half months? I know. I know. You guys just want to beat me up senseless for making you wait. I can't say I blame you. I was busy and work was overflooding. Not only did I have homework, but I also had a job, which in fact took most of my time. Not only do I work on weekends, which is sometimes **both** Saturday **and **Sunday, but sometimes I had work after school during weekdays. I get home at 10, and I'm left to do my homework until 2 in the morning. This happens at least two or three times during the week, which is sad. I don't get enough sleep anymore. **But**―before you guys beat me up senseless again, you must blame my beta. She was only able to finish the damn editing last week. Anyway… onward with a new chapter.

**

* * *

Chapter 12―A Visit From The Past**

"I'm sorry."

A pair of roseate colored orbs gave a concerned glance at her companion, but the aquamarine haired girl's worried expression soon dissipated when her pale lips permitted a soft giggle as it slightly parted. "You always apologize whenever we see each other."

Forest shaded eyes darted back filled with a persistence that only a small child could possibly possess, "But—"

A pale, yet scanty hand rose, gesturing for silence, the coral haired girl standing near the hospital bed, which the aquamarine haired girl was occupying, closed her mouth and complied with her friend's silent request.

"Sakura, you came to visit me, did you not?" ―the roseate eyed girl waited until she saw a nod from her visitor before she decided to continue― "You should be visiting me with a great, big smile on your face telling me, 'Tsubasa-chan, I humbly took two hours out of my busy schedule just to see you are well and still breathing.'" She had intertwined her fingers together and had a playfully teasing look on her teenage features.

Sakura couldn't help but turn away. The sight was too unbearable for her. Her lips twitched as she sighed in relief, "You definitely are breathing."

Tsubasa's harmless, but playful teasing façade was replaced with a sincere smile that tugged at her lips, "You're back to your sarcastic and old self. I always like it when you visit."

"Yeah, it seems that you're quite glad to see me again. You're smilling…" Sakura hesitated to complete her sentence, but she knew that Tsubasa wasn't one to hold any grudges with merely a sarcastic remark, "… too much for a girl who's in a hospital bed, with needles stuck on her body."

After all, even after betraying Tsubasa two years before, she still took Sakura's apology humbly and forgave her. But Sakura knew for a fact that the act of betraying a friend was something that wouldn't easily be forgiven. That was the sole reason she took the time to apologize whenever she came to give Tsubasa a visit. In her heart, Sakura still doubted if Tsubasa had truly forgiven her for what she had done to her.

Tsubasa continued to smile, and giggled yet again. She was dismissing Sakura's sarcastic remarks as if they were just like a compliment. "Ah, but that's because you came to visit me. I'm glad. It's been a while since we last saw each other."

"Yeah, it has been a while, hasn't it," Sakura muttered in a whisper, but Tsubasa was able to catch every single word she was saying.

"Do pray tell―whatever happened that you haven't been here to visit me." Tsubasa's playful smile quirked into a sly, yet still playful, grin. "Did you finally get a boyfriend even though you look very unlikable with that geeky façade you're putting on, whenever you go to school?"

"I wouldn't consider… 'boyfriend' the right term," Sakura grumbled in disdain.

Tsubasa blinked innocently. "Really, it sounds like that person is even more than a boyfriend." A sly smile emerged on her pale lips. "Is he something more…" When Tsubasa didn't hear a grunt or a sound of response, she decided to not beat around the bush any longer, "… perhaps… a lover?"

Sakura snorted in denial, "Heck―no!" Sakura's response was immediate. She sure didn't waste any time or second thoughts in denying Tsubasa's statement.

Tsubasa could only laugh as she heard her friend's immediate reaction. Seeing an awestruck look on her face was just something that Tsubasa needed to laugh at. Sakura had never failed at making her laugh. "Well then," Tsubasa said, restraining a giggle from coming out of her mouth that would be sure to infuriate her friend, "Tell me all about what made you so busy that you couldn't visit your 'dear' friend." Tsubasa gave another playful sigh.

Sakura gave one last apprehensive glance at the smiling Tsubasa before telling her everything that had happened. From the day that her life―or so she says―was ruined because her insane mother, Sumire, arranged for her to be engaged to one of the most powerful families in the world, the Uchiha clan. Well, it wasn't like her family wasn't powerful as well, when her mother had married into an equally powerful family, the Sabaku clan, who were famous for owning various oil wells around the world, while coming from another powerful family herself. She came from the Sohma clan.

She told Tsubasa everything that had happened after that. From the bet that she had arranged with her fiancée, to where Ami had created that false rumor about her and her best friend being gay, and lastly, the bet that her fiancée's older brother, Uchiha Itachi, had arranged that involved her **sweet** fiancée.

* * *

"So… Uchiha Sasuke's your fiancée?" Tsubasa couldn't help but smile as she watched her friend's eyebrow twitch and a frown appearing at the corners of her twitching lips at the sound of her fiancée's name.

Sakura nodded with a sour expression in place.

Suddenly, a sound of a snort was heard and giggles started filling the room. Sakura's eyebrow twitched, realizing that Tsubasa was now making fun of her. That was something she didn't need right now. But, then again, Tsubasa did love teasing her whenever she got the chance.

"Stop that! It's not funny, you know!" Sakura glared at her companion, but sadly, Tsubasa seemed to be dismissing and ignoring it.

Tsubasa tried to conceal her laughter, but only succeeded in creating a snort that made Sakura growl in annoyance. She took a deep breath, and when she was finally able to stop laughing at her friend's misfortune, said, "I'm sorry, I just couldn't help it." She was smiling apologetically, but that wasn't what Sakura's interpretation of it was. "I just can't believe that you would be engaged to **the **Uchiha Sasuke. One of the richest teenage boys in the world."

"Yeah, and if he married into my family, then he would be the richest man in the world. Go figure," Sakura rolled her eyes sardonically.

"Well, it can't be all that bad," Tsubasa stated, now trying her best to comfort her friend, when teasing Sakura senseless was all she had been doing before.

Sakura snorted in respose, "Yeah right."

"You'll never know. In time, you might learn to love him, and he might also learn to love you back." Tsubasa clasped her hands together and gave a dreamy sigh. It was her way of comforting her friend, even if it was a little weird.

Sakura's eyes then became downcast. Her expression was grave and thoughtful, "How would you… know that?"

It took a while for Tsubasa to answer Sakura. It wasn't because she didn't know how to answer Sakura's sudden question. It was because the way Sakura's expression seemed to be was more in the lines of sadness than just a simple thoughtful expression. But soon, a reply was spoken, "I won't know about that… only you would."

Sakura's eyes remained downcast, but now, Tsubasa could see a tiny smile forming around the corner of her friend's mouth as it tilted upwards.

Wanting to lift the tension out the already gloomy room, Tsubasa decided to change the subject. Back to her cheerful and outgoing self, Tsubasa exclaimed happily, "You're dressed up as a respectable human being!"

All the anxiety forgotten as she heard an insult within Tsubasa's statement. "What's that suppose to mean?" Sakura's eyebrow twitched along with her lips.

Ignoring Sakura's question, and pretending like she didn't say anything at all, Tsubasa continued to tease her relentlessly, "I'm so glad that you're always dressed appropriately like how you usually dressed up two years ago. I must say that you look breathtaking. You look ridiculous whenever you wear that geeky outfit and hairstyle of yours. I must know―how do you ever get through a whole day without being harassed?"

"Hey, you threatened me that if I don't dress up like how I did two years ago whenever I came to visit you; you never wanted to see my face again. That's mean you know," Sakura retorted with a growl. Her tone abruptly changed in her next statement. "It's like you really don't want to see me anymore." Her voice held both the mix of guilt and rejection within it.

"It's not like I don't want to see you again." Tsubasa looked out of the window. The curtains moved to the side, so that the painted blue sky was clearly reflected on her coral colored eyes. "If I look at you while you're wearing your geeky clothes, it seems like you're hiding something from me. It's like you're hiding something from everyone that you don't want them to see."

_You're deceiving everyone around you… taking advantage of the trust that they gave you… only to deceive them with that mask of yours._

Tsubasa didn't need to say it, but Sakura knew that that's what she meant. She knew that. She knew that every single day that she came to school with her geeky façade, she was breaking the trust and the bond that she had formed with her best friend, Hyuuga Hinata. It wasn't only Hinata's trust that she was breaking, but also the people around her. And also, the people who **had **been close to her in the past.

"I don't want that." Tsubasa turned her attention back to Sakura; her soft and straight hair easily followed the movements of her head as it turned. She gave a tiny smile to her visiting friend and looked at her with every ounce of sincerity. "I want to see the real you. The person that I met two years ago that became my friend."

Sakura didn't respond. She didn't need to. All she had to do was listen… which she did. Approaching the window that was the only source of light in the gloomy room they were in, Sakura took the time to observe the naturally painted blue sky. Taking an intake of breath, she leaned her elbows on the window and took the time to enjoy how the fresh air calmed her senses. She sensed someone staring at her, and immediately knew whom it was. Tsubasa must be waiting for her to reply, answer, or even just speak to break the silence that she had engaged them into.

Tsubasa sat there… patiently waiting for her friend to speak, or maybe, she was just letting them enjoy the silence for a while. After all, Tsubasa's statement was something that definitely triggered something in Sakura to recall past memories. She needed to give her time to adjust to the situation and calm herself for a bit.

"Ne, how long are you going to stay here?" The question was off topic, unexpected, and out of the blue. But at least, it took away the tension around them.

It was just like Tsubasa to giggle whenever Sakura tried to change the topic. That only happened every time Tsubasa tried to make her recall the past—which she didn't like… at all. "Don't worry, it's not like I'm staying here from now on. It's only a check-up."

"Check-up, huh?" Sakura plopped her chin onto her palm, as she furrowed her brows. Her elbow was still resting on the edge of the window; the weight of her upper body focused on the tip of her elbow. "It doesn't look like you're only here for a check-up," Sakura said warily.

Tsubasa couldn't help but laugh at Sakura's arising suspicion. "It is―really."

Sakura's eyelids narrowed. Unfortunately, Tsubasa's excuse didn't seem to work on convincing her. She was about to open her mouth, trying to find out why Tsubasa was here for when their conversation had to be cut short.

"Excuse me," a girl with auburn tresses tied into two buns emerged from the door. She was wearing a white blouse and a short white skirt. She must be a nurse-in-training by the outfit she was wearing.

"Ah, Tenten-san," Tsubasa smiled in recognition of her new visitor.

"I'm sorry, but your time is up. Each visitor isn't allowed to linger in a patient's room for more than 30 minutes," Tenten stated, taking a glance at the clipboard she had in her hands once in a while.

Sakura straightened herself up and nodded.

Realizing that the occupying visitor in the room had understood what she meant, Tenten didn't press the matter any further. She walked out of the room, not waiting for Sakura to leave first. Tenten knew that she would leave soon anyway. She needed to give them privacy for them to say goodbye. It wasn't her business anyway.

Approaching her sickly friend sitting on the hospital bed, Sakura gave a gentle pat on Tsubasa's shoulder. "Well… I'll see you." Giving a tiny smile when Tsubasa nodded with a gentle smile, she brought her hand to her side. Sauntering out of the door, she came to a halt only when something clicked in her mind.

Looking at Tsubasa once more, but with a distant expression on her face, Sakura asked, "Do you happen to know anyone by the name of Arisugaki Sai?"

"Huh?" Tsubasa could've sworn that she felt her heart skipped a beat when the name was mentioned.

Shaking her head to get rid of the unwanted thoughts, Sakura waved her hands, "Never mind. Bye Tsubasa. I'll visit you in your house next time."

Tsubasa could only nod because Sakura had already disappeared behind the closed door. She couldn't even say goodbye. She was alone… again. It was a good thing to see Sakura once in a while. They never really saw each other much anymore.

Her mind suddenly wandered over to the question that Sakura's mind must have pondered on. Looking out of the window, since it was the only thing she could do―besides eating, of course―in the gloomy hospital room, she sighed.

"You still don't remember Sai… do you…?"

The question wasn't directed to the sky that her gaze was unconsiously fixed on, nor was it towards the person her question was directed to. It was for herself… to wonder and to know.

"… Sakura…?"

* * *

Strolling around the hospital with her gaze focused on the ground and not at the people around her―it wasn't like she knew them, but still―she passed by a familiar person without knowing. She was too preoccupied with her thoughts to notice.

This only made that person smirk when he knew that she didn't pay him a single glance that indicated recognition. He received none, but a cold shoulder. His eyes trailed her walking figure until it disappeared as she passed by and turned toward a corner.

This was even better that she didn't notice him. Since, no one was supposed to know that he was visiting **her** in this hopital, it was a relief. He didn't even need to hide from her, knowing that they were visiting the same person in this hospital.

* * *

"Tell me again why I agreed to come with you in this pathetic excuse of a hang out," a voice grumbled gruffly.

Naruto opened his mouth to respond, but Sasuke had already beaten him to it.

"Don't answer that," Sasuke cut in sternly.

Naruto grumbled with a scoff, "It's not like I'm as rich as you. Poor men's happiness lies within the mall."

_Why a mall? _"Are you gay?" Sasuke asked bluntly, giving Naruto a cold glance.

"That isn't what I meant!" Naruto snapped angrily.

"I have better things to do," Sasuke stated selfishly.

"Yeah, like play with your PS2 on your HD plasma screen TV." Naruto rolled his eyes with obvious envy at the Uchiha's excessive fortune. He had **too **much in Naruto's opinion.

"I didn't say that," Sasuke pointed out flatly.

"Well, you suggested it," Naruto retorted sardonically.

* * *

"Tsubasa, you have a visitor."

Curiosity and anxiousness overwelmed her, as she waited patiently to see who her new visitor was. To be visited twice during a day made her happy, that there were people who would take the time to visit her in a gloomy hospital.

She gasped when she finally saw her new visitor. Tenten had already left to leave the two of them for their private conversation, not like Tsubasa noticed. She was too engrossed in seeing her new visitor again that a bright smile came onto her pale lips.

* * *

She continued walking, still not paying any attention to where she was going. She was too preoccupied with her thoughts to pay any attention to where she was headed, or to who she might bump into.

The message hidden inbetween Tsubasa's words had been repeating in her head over and over again, and would not be leaving her alone anytime soon.

You're deceiving everyone around you… taking advantage of the trust that they gave you… only to deceive them with that mask of yours.

Sakura's face wrinkled into a frown. She knew that. She knew that very well. She knew the consequences of her actions, and she was ready to face it. She wasn't hidding her true self just because she felt like it. She had a reason. It was her way of… punishing herself.

She didn't even notice that she had already bumped into somebody's shoulder by accident until it was too late. The action had been done. She was about to mutter an apology when she snapped her head up, but a deep voice beat her to it.

"Do I know you from somewhere?"

Sakura looked at the stranger that she had bumped into only to stare at the person owlishly in shock. Bad luck. Bad luck indeed.

Oh great, it just had to be him. She was in deep trouble now. His stern and intense gaze was only making her nervous that she wanted to just run away. But that would only make her more conspicuous, now would it?

"Neji-niisan, who are you talking to?" a soft, yet sweet voice asked as a girl approached the said boy.

Sakura could only mentally gasp when she realized who Neji's companion was. She tried her best to keep her composure calm and colleted, but at the back of her mind, she was worried that Neji would realize who she was. There was a big chance already that he would recognize her. Neji was clever after all. Just like Sasuke… and Itachi.

"Hinata," Neji said, in recognition of the said girl's presence next to him as he glanced momentarily at his cousin.

_Hinata,_ a startled thought came into Sakura's mind at the sight of seeing her best friend face to face. Seeing Hinata's baffled expression staring at her and then towards her cousin, was just making things worse for her.

All she wanted to do was just bang her head somewhere. Her luck was becoming worse and worse. She just had to see Hinata at a time like this. That's why she hated going outside dressed up as how she used to dress a year ago. There would always be a chance that she would meet or bump into people who knew her: whether they were the people she used to be friends with a year ago, or the people who knew her as the 'pauper geek' in Konoha High.

She had already started hiding her true self (image) from them. She couldn't back out now. Right when she walked into Konoha High for the first day a year ago dressed up as a geek, that was the day she started to deceive everyone around her. She couldn't stop now. She had gone way too far already to hold back.

"I'm sorry. I don't know what you're talking about. I have never met you in my entire life. You must be mistaking me for someone else," Sakura responded hard-heartedly.

"Really? You look oddly familiar though," Neji said warily. He didn't seem convinced enough with Sakura's claim alone. "Oh well, I might've been making a mistake anyway. I'm sorry to have bothered you," Neji said casually, dismissing the subject and letting go of any doubts that lingered in his mind.

Sakura didn't know whether to feel relieved or cautious because of Neji's hasty change of mind. She should be glad that he didn't press the matter any further. It was something less for her to think and get anxious about.

"You know, next time, just watch where you're going," Neji said arrogantly with a smirk.

His words snapped Sakura back to reality. Realizing what he had said, Sakura gave a scoff of displeasure before walking away from the two Hyuugas.

When the 'odd' stranger was gone, Hinata gave her older cousin a frown of inquisitiveness, "Oddly familiar?"

Neji just shook his head, "Never mind that. Let's go." He could only give as much as a glance at the girl that bumped into him before walking toward the opposite direction with Hinata tailing right behind. They were going to where they were originally headed to before they were stalled by an unwanted meeting with a mere stranger. But 'this' stranger was actually someone they both knew very well.

The question was, did any of them recognize that it was Haruno Sakura, the 'pauper geek' at Konoha High who was the very same girl that they bumped into?

* * *

Tsubasa gasped in happiness. "Sai, my long lost friend," she said with a smile.

"Long lost friend?" Sai asked as he entered the hospital room, curious with the term that Tsubasa used as a description for him.

Tsubasa giggled. "You know how much I missed you, Sai." She grinned playfully, hoping that Sai would ignore her past statement.

Sai remained silent as he approached Tsubasa's bed. He seemed out of it, like his mind was drifting somewhere else.

Tsubasa, noticed Sai's lack of response and asked, "What's wrong?"

He stopped, when he was standing right beside Tsubasa's bed. "I saw her."

"Saw?" Tsubasa frowned with eagerness, silently asking Sai to continue. When he didn't, she tried to answer her own question by guessing out loud. "Do you mean Sakura?"

Sai nodded.

Tsubasa gave a small, and possibly unoticeable sigh. "Sai, you know that she already feels guilty for what she's done in the past. Can't you just let it go?"

"No," Sai muttered flatly, restraining his innermost feelings of hatred.

"Sai," Tsubasa gave him a concerned look while her eyelids drooped with anxiety.

Shaking his head, Sai left her bedside and sautered towards the only window near her bed. "You do remember what she did to you, don't you?" he asked, or rather―stated, giving her a glance.

"I'm not asking you to do any of this," Tsubasa said, shaking her head.

"You don't need to," he said simply, looking outside the window that he had finally reached. "I'm going to make her feel―what she did to you." His dark orbs narrowed resentfully.

"But… I've already forgiven her," Tsubasa stated humbly.

"I didn't," Sai countered her sentence without a second thought.

"Is that the main reason why you enrolled at Konoha High?" Tsubasa asked, hoping that her suspicion was just a crazy thought going through her mind.

Her question was what took Sai to revert his attention towards her once again. "So… how did you know about that?" Sai asked carefully.

Tsubasa kept her mouth shut, knowing that Sai already knew the answer to his own question.

Sai smirked, "I suppose, she tells you everything… doesn't she? Funny, that it seems you're the only person she trusts and tells all her secrets to, eh?"

Tsubasa narrowed her roseatte orbs, but not to say anything about the matter.

"So, then, you would know about the deal or rather―'bet' she had made with Uchiha Itachi?" Sai asked with an amused glint in his eyes.

_"I know that it will only be a matter of time before you fall in love with him."_

Tsubasa nodded. "What do you plan on doing?"

"Simple. She doesn't deserve to be loved… by anyone," he said, his eyes narrowing maliciously. "Not by her friends… or anyone else."

"I'm not going to stop you on whatever it is that you want to do," Tsubasa said in an audible undertone. "Just do me one favor," her voice increased it's volume and returned to normal.

"Fine," Sai grunted. He might sound like he didn't like the idea, but he would do whatever favor Tsubasa had asked of him, whatever it may be.

Why?

It was because of a promise that he had made towards someone that was important to him.

* * *

"Damn you! You cheated! You bastard!" Naruto pointed his index finger at his best friend exasperated as they exited an arcade shop. Apparently, Naruto was furious about the outcome of their match, when they were still inside the shop.

Sasuke rolled his eyes and grunted an imperturbable, "Hn."

"You think you're **so **cool! Well, one of these days I'll make you say, 'I'm sorry,'" Naruto ranted on, with a loud mouth.

Sasuke grunted and said, "I'm sorry."

"And then I'll―what," Naruto's deafening tone ceased and turned into a confused undertone as he heard Sasuke's apology. He couldn't believe it. Uchiha Sasuke! The infamous Uchiha Sasuke, uttering an apology. Wow, that was a first. He never knew that all he needed was a good combination of threats just to get the arrogant Uchiha out of his superiority complex and apologize.

However, all of Naruto's conceited thoughts were burned to a crisp in the blink of an eye upon hearing Sasuke's next statement.

"I'm sorry that you're such an idiotic deadlast that you can't even beat an amateur like me in that pathetic excuse of a game of yours," Sasuke said haughtily.

"So, you're actually calling yourself an amateur?" Naruto asked, deadpanned.

Sasuke shrugged uncaringly at Naruto's insult. "At least I'm not someone whose skills are far worse than an amateur when he's been playing much longer, and his knowledge is far more advanced in that game."

Real cocky. A real bastard… more like an arrogant bastard.

His temple continued to twitch, and his escalating anger was only irking him to engage his companion into a bloody brawl. But before that would ever happen, he needed to do one thing. Scream his head off to show his rival how utterly furious he was.

"SASUKE!"

Like that would ever change the fact that this would only provoke Uchiha Sasuke into manipulating Naruto into making a fool out of himself even more.

Before Sasuke could even utter a new combined insult, Naruto already started ranting his head off… or rather―making a fool out of himself in public. He was trying very hard to prove himself to his best friend… even though he was doing it unconsciously.

"YOU BASTARD! I'M GOING TO **KILL** YOU!"

Or maybe… he was just passing an empty threat.

Well, it was 'empty' in Sasuke's opinion.

Still, Naruto continued ranting on… and on…

"I swear I―"

Before Naruto could even finish his new threat, someone bumbed into him unconsciously, making him swallow the rest of his words. Annoyed by the fact that he didn't get to finish threatening his rival, he was about to transfer all his anger onto the person that interrupted him, when he gaped in shock of who he saw.

"You're…"

* * *

"He left already, didn't he?" Tenten asked, when she poked her head from the slightly opened door and didn't see anyone other than the patient in the room.

Tsubasa nodded. "He's still the same arrogant and rash person as ever," she sighed with a giggle.

"At least, you can go home tomorrow, ne?" Tenten smiled, giving Tsubasa the good news for her to have something to look forward to. She wasn't used to seeing Tsubasa frowning with a serious look on her face. She preferred the bubbly and carefree Tsubasa. At least, that made Tenten sure that Tsubasa was alright.

"Yeah," Tsubasa whispered but somehow, one could tell that something was bothering the girl by the sound of her voice.

"Hm," Tenten sounded in a low tone, concerned on what might be troubling the girl.

"It will only be a matter of time before I permanently stay in this gloomy hospital," she said without any hesitation.

She wasn't in denial.

Looking out of the window and anticipating the future events, Tsubasa continued, "And all I can do is wait for them to visit me and accompany me… if they will ever come and visit me."

Tenten knew about Tsubasa's case, but even though she did, she still wanted to comfort the girl and take her mind off of the things she would be expecting in the future. The odd thing was, the words that formed from Tenten's mouth weren't words of comfort, but something else. "Tsubasa… do they know about 'that'?"

Casting a secretive smile, Tsubasa nodded, "They know…"

Pity overflowed within Tenten. She couldn't imagine how those two must feel, knowing the fate of their friend. She couldn't image how they were able to handle it… to visit their friend in the hospital smilling and filling the gloomy hospital room with carefree laughter that sometimes echoed in the halls.

"… But they don't know when," Tsubasa finished her sentence, catching Tenten off guard and making her blink because of the new information that Tsubasa enlightened her with.

Now, Tenten didn't know whether to feel pity for Tsubasa's visitors' for their lack of knowledge about their friend's condition, or Tsubasa herself, for concealing her condition to her friends.

But, Tsubasa didn't stop there. "But I think… I do," she muttered confidently like the subject didn't seem to matter to her.

* * *

He was shocked to see her. It was her. The mystery girl that he met during the festival. It was odd that he would finally meet her in a place like this, and at a time like this. She was wearing something completely different from the time he met her during the festival.

Today, she was wearing something more casual and not quite so revealing clothes. She wore a three-fourth orange blouse with a sleeveless tangerine midriff oversweater with cords crisscrossing across the front, a red mini skirt and black knee socks with two red stripes on top.

Trying to remember who the girl that bumped into him was, made him forget his hatred towards his best friend completely. He tried and tried to dig inside his brain who the girl was. But…

"Who are you again?" Naruto asked the girl standing beside him.

Sadly, the girl didn't seem to hear him. (Thank God, or he would've definitely earned himself a bloody cheek.) Her attention was focused elsewhere, and as Naruto soon noticed, the said girl was staring owlishly at his best friend.

Naruto averted his gaze to his best friend, only to find Sasuke doing the very same thing as the girl standing right next to him. He was about to open his mouth to speak (maybe, to ask a question) when someone spoke before he even could.

"YOU―!" the mysterious girl exclaimed, pointing her index finger towards the younger Uchiha, who narrowed his eyes as a sign that he also recognized her.

Naruto was too preoccupied with his own thoughts to witness the sudden change of behavior of his two companions. However, right at the moment that the girl spoke, something clicked in Naruto's mind. He snapped his fingers when he finally realized who the girl was. He opened his mouth and pointed his index finger at the mysterious girl, standing right next to him. "I know who you are, you're―"

Naruto could only gape in shock, as his next words were forgotten when he didn't see the girl standing next to him anymore. He was about to ask his best friend where the girl went, but when he looked at the spot where Sasuke was supposed to be, nothing was there.

This was when he realized that they had left him… alone.

"Damn it! Those two ditched me!"

This not only made him remember his forgotten anger towards Sasuke, but it also made him dislike the mysterious girl he met at the festival. Not much. Just a tiny bit. He was more furious at Sasuke, so much so that he might even have forgetten about the fact that he was supposed to start disliking the mysterious girl.

* * *

"Ah, Ino, how nice to see you here," Tenten greeted with a friendly smile. Her shift in the hospital has just ended and she was just about to go home, but seeing Yamanaka Ino passing by the hospital was something new to her.

"Why is something wrong with seeing me walking along the sidewalk?" Ino asked, her voice dipped with sarcasm.

"No, nothing." Tenten shook her head without a second thought. "It just seems weird that you're passing by here. I've never seen you here before."

"Well, something wrong with seeing me now? I wanted to walk―okay?" Ino replied with a sigh.

"Walk? Why would you want to walk when you're rich enough to buy a car with only your week's allowance and salary?" Tenten asked playfully.

"That maybe true, but you can't forget the fact that I'm underaged," Ino stated an obvious fact. "I can't drive yet even if I want to."

Tenten laughed at Ino's sarcastic remark. "But isn't that what money is for?"

"You know very well that I don't like bribing others with money. I have pride you know," Ino smiled proudly.

Tenten chuckled, "Yeah, I suppose you do."

The proud smile on Ino's face disappeared as quickly as it appeared. She was looking past Tenten's shoulder with a thoughtful and dreamy expression.

Tenten had a gist on what Ino might be thinking about and decided to comment on it. However, before she was able to utter any word from out of her mouth, Ino snapped out of her dreamy state.

"Well, I better be going." Ino waved and walked towards Tenten. Well, that was the way to her destination.

Before Ino could brush past Tenten, however, she was halted by a hand on her shoulder. She glanced at Tenten with a questioning look. She didn't need to ask for her facial expression was already asking, 'What?'

"Are you still thinking about that friend of yours?" Tenten asked carefully.

_You just had to remind me,_ Ino thought with a sigh. "What makes you think that?"

Tenten sighed, not bothering to answer Ino's innocent question. "You should really go see this Haruno Sakura girl at school, so that you can be sure if she's in fact, your long lost friend… or something."

Ino smiled, knowing that Tenten wouldn't take 'no' for an answer. "Yeah, I'll do that."

Tenten took her intruding hand off of Ino's shoulder, letting her go on her way. But by watching Ino's retreating back, Tenten realized that she wasn't satisfied with Ino's answer. So, before Ino became too far, Tenten said, "You better."

Ino merely gave her a momentary glance and waved her hands, "Yeah, yeah."

* * *

"Hey, let go of me!" Sakura protested, but Sasuke didn't stop from running as he continued to drag her by her wrist. She was about to try and pry her hand off of his hold, but it only tightened unconsciously, making sure that she wouldn't run off towards some other direction.

Sakura had no other choice but to let him drag her to wherever it was he would drag her and finally let her go. Even though, she wasn't fond of how he was treating her now―considering the fact that he was rashly dragging her off somewhere unknown rather aggressively―she somehow wanted to talk to him again… looking completely different from her persona as his geeky fiancée. It didn't matter to her whether he might find out about her real identity or not.

Somewhere inside her… she wanted to talk to him normally without having to argue with him every time they met. Somehow… she wanted to restart their relationship and get to know him all over again. In her mind, she knew that being dressed like a completely different person would be the only chance that she would ever get of doing that.

She didn't know why. She was only supposed to hate him, but somehow, the more she spent time with him―it didn't matter whether she was the geeky fiancée that he knew, or the mysterious girl that he met during the school festival―the more she wanted to get to know him. But that wouldn't happen if Sasuke could only think of the competition that they engaged themselves into whenever he saw her as his geeky fiancée. She needed to be someone else―a total stranger―to get to know him.

He continued to forcibly drag her. Sakura could only frown and then grimace with a tiny whimper when Sasuke's grip became too tight. When he heard the sound of the girl in pain, he loosened his grip slightly, but kept it firm enough to ensure that she wouldn't escape.

Sakura's viridian orbs perked up when they passed a gate that had a sign above telling her that they where heading to a park… or rather, they were already in the park. This formed a set of confused thoughts in her mind.

_Why is he bringing me here? _

_Why in a park?_

_Heck, why is he dragging me all the way here for?_

_What does he even want with me?_

She mentally screamed, annoyed that all those questions kept on rumbling in her mind. She wanted answers, but she figured that it would be best to ask when Sasuke stopped dragging her around so that they could stand still and talk. Question was: when would that happen?

It seemed that she would finally get the answers that she sought when Sasuke suddenly stopped in a vacant spot within the park. No one was there… except for them. They had the chance to talk without anyone bothering them, or worrying about embarrassing themselves out in public.

Noticing that he wasn't going to drag her anymore, she took this as an opportunity to pry her wrist out of Sasuke's enclosed grip. "What's the big idea!" she exclaimed, her exasperation at being forcefully dragged returning her to her senses.

"Hn," Sasuke sounded as he finally turned to face her.

"What makes you think you can drag me all over the place to somewhere you decided out of the blue? Huh?" she asked breathlessly.

"It just happened to occur to me that you wanted to talk," Sasuke replied placidly.

Sakura opened her mouth but she couldn't utter a single syllable from the dry humor that her fiancée presented her. Before she closed her mouth to try and talk again, an impatient scoff came out of her mouth instead. Opening her mouth once more, she tried to form the words by using her tongue. "So I… I wanted… to talk―to you," she stammered, flabbergasted by how overconfident her fiancée was.

"Well, didn't you?" Sasuke asked, his arrogance overflowing that Sakura just wanted to grab a damn towel and wipe it all off.

"So, how did you possibly know that **I** wanted to talk to you―in private?" Sakura asked as she threw her hands up in exasperation.

"I had a feeling," Sasuke replied nonchalantly.

Something clicked in Sakura's mind that made all her exasperation dissipate as if there had been no negative emotions emitting from her in the first place. Soon, her sour expression became vacantly solid. "So, what do you want to talk to me about?" Sakura asked cleverly, finally uncovering the puzzle of Sasuke's oddly arrogant act.

Sasuke smirked, when he knew that the girl before him finally realized what he was into. "You're fun to play with," Sasuke muttered teasingly.

"Excuse me," Sakura said firmly, frowning.

Ignoring her last remark, Sasuke's gaze fixed oddly on her. His impassiveness made her really tense. Quite tense. He was unusually silent too. Wait, he was always silent―but still… She anticipated that he might say, 'I know it's you, Haruno Sakura,' and that thought alone was making her really anxious. He had already got her before with pretending that he didn't know a damn thing when he actually did, and she wasn't going to fall for that trick again.

He wouldn't get the better of her.

"Why did you suddenly leave?" Sasuke asked, catching Sakura off guard. He was serious as his intense gaze became even more fixed upon her.

She didn't expect a question like that from him. Maybe, he really didn't know who she was… or maybe… he did.

"I… I don't know what you're talking about," Sakura stammered. She mentally cursed at herself for making herself conspicuous of hiding something. Bad thing was―she was hiding something. The worst of it was―he might actually know what it was. Oh great!

Again, he ignored her statement of denial, and continued trying to persuade her into telling him the truth―the truth that he wanted to hear. "Suddenly disappearing without a word, I wonder why," he drawled out. He thought that questioning her alone wasn't going to get him anywhere. Maybe, manipulation might work.

"Why the hell would you care whether I disappear or not! You don't know anything about me!" she exclaimed, pretending to be annoyed. She wouldn't give in to him. She didn't want to, and she wasn't going to let him get the best of her.

"How would you know whether I **do** care whether you disappear or not? You don't know anything about me either," Sasuke fired back calmly, getting ahead of their game.

Sakura was taken aback, but tried not to make it noticable. She wasn't expecting him to be able to give back a great comeback in such a short time. Oh great! Now, she had to think of an even better comeback―fast. "Then why are you asking about that? If you don't give a damn, then you wouldn't ask in the first place!" Somehow, she wasn't pretending anymore. She seemed to be extremely interested in what her fiancée would say.

"If you must know, that selfish action of yours was very rude," Sasuke stated coolly.

_Yeah, like you were never rude to me before,_ she mentally scoffed, _As if!_ Oh, how much she wanted to form those words from her mouth, but that would definitely blow her cover big time.

You're deceiving everyone around you… taking advantage of the trust that they gave you… only to deceive them with that mask of yours.

Tension came flooding back to her, remembering the meaning of Tsubasa's statement. She shook her head, trying to get rid of the unnecessary thoughts. There was no point in being guilty now. What's done is done.

She chose to stay silent, thinking that it was best not to say anything. If she opened her mouth to say something, it might not come out the way that she wanted it to. She might let something slip, since her mind was wandering off somewhere.

"What is it…?" Sasuke started, eyeing Sakura with a cool, yet serious expression on his features, "What is it that you're hiding?"

"What?" Sakura asked without even thinking. Did he just ask her what she thought he did?

"I can't help but notice that you're hiding something. You act like you don't want people to know something… about you," Sasuke said, not knowing that he had hit a nail right on the head.

He didn't have any time to react, before a vicious slap struck him on the cheek. Ignoring the pain that he had felt on his cheek, he tilted his head back to give the girl a piece of his mind. He knew that she was the one who had slapped him, and he wasn't going to let her get away with it, even though she was a girl.

But the glare that was supposed to form on his face when he faced Sakura immediately softened when he saw **her** glaring at him furiously. Her viridian orbs were glistening even more with wet tears of anger that were swiftly forming at the base of her eyes.

She was angry at him for reasons he didn't know. He was the one that was supposed to be furious. He was the one that got slapped on the face. He didn't deserve it. Well, that's what he thought, but Sakura thought otherwise.

"Don't speak to me… as if you know everything about me," she spoke in a low voice that revealed all the flooding emotions that she was feeling. It was upset, furious, offended, and sad. "Because by far… you still know nothing about me. Absolutely… nothing." Her voice was shaking with what seemed to be―an admission guilt?—as she spoke those words.

She didn't give him time to respond as she ran off towards the direction where they came from―out of the park. She didn't want to hear what he had to say. All he would do was make her feel even worse.

Funny, that she had wanted to get to know him better. At least, now she knew how utterly ignorant Uchiha Sasuke was in dealing with other people's feelings. He had no clue when he was out of line. He didn't know when his words were already hurting other people's feelings.

Sasuke winced and grimaced when the stinging pain that he felt on his cheek returned. He seemed to have forgotten the pain that he felt when she slapped him at the very moment that he saw her pained expression. His mind suddenly became blank right at that very moment. He didn't know what to do when he saw the tears forming in her eyes. He had unconciously offended her with his curiosity.

_Maybe I did deserve that slap after all,_ Sasuke thought with a sigh.

* * *

"Where are you going?" a voice called out at the person that stood before her, making her stop.

She swore: if she ever saw Tsubasa again, she would give her a piece of her mind on dressing like how she used to a year before, since all it did was only bring her great suffering. A good example: this situation. How many times did she have to see **her**? She had already told **her** off last time during the festival, but **she** just wouldn't quit.

"I want some answers―**now** Sakura!" Ino demanded as she stood in front of Sakura, blocking her route to escape.

This day just plain sucked for her. How many more familiar people did she need to meet, for her to get through this day? She just wouldn't be left alone without any problems―even for just one day. She was really getting rather sick of this.

"Suddenly disappearing without a word! Tell me, why? Tell me the reason!" Ino demanded, exasperated.

"Didn't I tell you before? I don't know what you're talking about," Sakura replied smoothly and effortlessly. She was getting used to lying, and was actually getting better at it.

"The **hell** with that! Stop lying to me!" Ino yelled, glaring at Sakura. "You know that you're pissing me off! You disappear without a word, and I see you a year later―twice!" Ino hissed.

"Then get pissed," Sakura replied indifferently. "Like I told you, I don't know what you're talking about."

"Where the hell have you been… Sakura?" Ino's voice became a low whisper. She shook her head with a sigh.

Sakura decided that this was the best time to get away. Sauntering towards the confused Ino, Sakura unconsciously created a tense environment for the both of them. As the gap between them decreased, Ino became even more anxious on what the girl walking towards her was going to do.

Ino's eyes widened, as a chill went through her body when Sakura brushed against her shoulder. This made Ino realize how much her friend had changed… that is, if she was even the same friend that she used to know a year ago. She didn't know what had happened, but she was definitely sure that this was the same Haruno Sakura a year ago. The Haruno Sakura that was… her best friend… and she was hoping… that she still was. That they still were… best friends.

"I don't think that is any of your business."

That was the last cold remark that Sakura gave Ino before leaving her standing there… alone once more. It was very hard to do, but she had to move on. She was the cause of this problem, and she was going to end it―right here, right now. Question was: was it willing to end… yet?

Turning around with narrowed eyes, Ino watched her friend's retreating back in complete silence. She, then, broke it with one confounded question.

"What are you planning… Sakura… why and… what are doing with Sasuke?"

**_TBC_**

**

* * *

A/N: **Ah yes. I don't even remember what I wrote anymore since it had been five months since I wrote this chapter. I know that many people **despises** OC characters because it is always a guarantee that they will become a Mary-Sue. I can't really say that my OC is a Mary-Sue.

For one: she will **not** be paired with any of the original characters in Naruto. Get it. Not even Sai will be paired with her. I don't like pairing OC characters with the characters in Naruto. My characters are** no** exception. She has a purpose of being the way she is introduced in the story and a role for the future. She won't be a main character, nor she will be a minor character either.

Let's just say that she's one of the main reasons that Sakura's acting the way she is now.

Since I haven't update for so long, and I doubt I will update the next chapter soon because of my busy schedule, I will leave you a long preview. Enjoy!

**

* * *

Chapter 13―Misleading Relationships**

Sakura stood up, thinking of roaming around the school until it was time for class. It was better than staying in a deserted classroom with no sign of a human life form around. She felt like she was in a haunted classroom. Shaking off the scary thought, she walked out of the classroom.

When she reached the doorway, however, a familiar figure emerged from the other side of the doorway. Remaining casual and indifferent on seeing her fiancée, Uchiha Sasuke, she walked out of the classroom without giving as much even a mere glance to recognize his presence.

The two of them passed by each other without a single grunt, mutter or mumble of their usual greeting to each other. Sasuke didn't even bother to insult his fiancée as she brushed passed him like how he always did whenever he would see her, or get a chance to talk to her. Sakura didn't give him the usual glare that she sent him whenever they would bump into each other.

Their shoulders brushed passed each other gently as Sasuke entered the classroom and Sakura exited the desserted room. They both went to the opposite direction without paying much of a glance to the other. It was like they didn't even notice each other's presence, or maybe, they just ignored the fact that they were there.

**

* * *

Updated: **November 9, 2006


	13. Misleading Relationships

**Engagement On Hold**

**Summary:** (AU) Uchiha Sasuke is Konoha High's reigning prince. Haruno Sakura is…? Who is she again? What happens when the guy everybody knows finds himself engaged to the girl nobody knows?

**Genre: **Romance/Humor/Drama

**Pairings:** Sasuke/Sakura, Naruto/Hinata, Itachi/Sakura (What's wrong with me? I don't really know.)

**Author: **pei-chan

**Beta-reader:** Ruru Kitsuneko

**Disclaimer:** Wouldn't it be nice if Sasuke and Sakura were really engaged in the Naruto series? Then again, that would only occur in our dreams… ne? I also do not own the characters in the game Soul Calibur III, but I do own the game. Hehe.

* * *

**Chapter 13―Misleading Relationships**

The door closed with a a loud slam, alerting everyone about a new presence within the Haruno estate. No one bothered, however, to see who it was that arrived. Everyone already knew who it was. Just by distinguishing the noise that came from the doorway, it was quite obvious who the person was.

Colorful curses flew in the air as the estate shook with the heavy and careless stomping within the manor.

* * *

In the enormous living room in the Haruno estate, the two Sabaku siblings were to engulfed by the game presented on the screen. The two siblings were settling a score that supposed to be settled in the past. How were they settling their score? Simple―by playing the game called Soul Calibur 3.

"Sakura's back," Kankuro said, still very focused on the game. He was desperate on winning. Apparently, he got his ass whopped last time by his older sister, and demanded for a rematch. Thus, was the score that they needed to settle.

"Shouldn't you go see her, Gaara?" Temari asked, eyes glued on the flat screen. Oh, how much she wanted to just let her poor little brother, Kankuro, win for once. But, her little brother had told her to 'give her all'. Being a good sister that she was, she didn't want to disappoint Kankuro by going easy on him. Even though, that would be the only possible way that he could win again her.

"Amy wins!"

As the screen displayed this sentence, Kankuro threw his controller aggressively to the ground, and started spouting curses of vulgarity in the air. He lost―again! He had lost for the 10th time this day, and his patience with himself was running thin. Very thin. Actually, he might have snapped already.

"Funny, here I am using a 12 year old runt that I don't like, and you're using the evil and not to mention **strong** character, Nightmare." Temari muttered dryly. _And you still lost. Is it just me, or do you really suck―that bad?_ Temari commented sardonically.

"Don't," Kankuro warned in strictly with a snarl, "Even go there."

Temari rolled her eyes, indifferent to the negative vibes that her younger brother sent off. Turning to her other brother, who was lying down the couch with his eyes closed and his arms crossed, Temari looked at him with a nonchalant glance. "You should go check up on Sakura. Apparently, you're the only one who can calm her down… without getting beaten," Temari suggested, ignoring the fact that Gaara **might** be sleeping. Temari knew otherwise.

She knew that Gaara wasn't sleeping at all. Well, who could sleep with all the vulgarity that Kankuro was spouting and the annoying noise that Sakura was making downstairs. It was too noisy for anyone to get some rest, maybe not anytime soon.

"Hn," Gaara grumbled as he turned to the side, trying to get away from the noise. Yup, he was awake, but he chose not to do anything albeit continuing on lying down, getting some rest. He would go and talk to Sakura… shortly. He would wait for her to calm herself down first.

* * *

"Sakura dear, how was Tsubasa-chan?" Sumire asked, too cheerfully in Sakura's opinion.

Still fuming inside, Sakura tried to calm herself down by taking deep breaths. She didn't want to snap and break another expensive ornament that her mother had in the manor. She would be the one to clean it up afterwards, that's why. Though, it didn't help much, because her face was still twitching as she tried her best to answer her mother with a forced smile on her face.

"She's just… fine mother," Sakura said through gritted teeth. She tried to be respond cheerful, but her answer came out as a forced reply. Not to mention that her annoyance seeped through her voice.

Being the patient mother that she was, Sumire ignored the obvious fact that her daughter didn't want to talk to anyone right now, and that included her. Actually, she was the person that Sakura didn't want to talk to the most right now.

"That's good," Sumire nodded with a cheerful smile.

Sakura decided to cut their conversation, "Are we done yet?" She rubbed her head, getting a migrane from uncalled events that happened to her today. She didn't want to spend more time talking, but more time… thinking right now. Then, something occurred to her―another question that she had been poundering for days already. "Why are you still here, again?" Sakura asked flatly and offensively.

"That's not something you should say to your mother!" Sumire reprimanded and scoffed as she crossed her arms, "You of all people should know the reason why I'm here."

"What's the occasion?" Sakura asked, shaking her head in confusion. It took her a couple of moments before it clicked. Oh yeah, it was the anniversary of her father's death tomorrow. Her mother usually came home to stay with Temari, Kankuro, Gaara and her during those days. They didn't really go anywhere to celebrate it, but they usually had dinner together and spent their time together as a family―like a normal family. How could she forget about something as important as that?

"We're going to have dinner together, of course," Sumire chirped in enthusiastically.

_Like what we always do,_ Sakura commented mentally.

"With the Uchiha's," Sumire added. "It would be a great time to get to know them better. Most of all you and your fiancée get to talk about each other: what you do in school together, how you spend your time with each other, and how far your relationship is getting."

Sakura shook her head continuously as Sumire said this. Those questions repeated in her head.

_"What you do in school together…"_

Nothing. Absolutely nothing. If you would count glaring at each other restlessly, tremendously sneering at each other, ruining each other's reputation whenever they got the chance―then yes, they do spend their time together. After all, 'each other' goes within the same boat as 'together'.

_"How you spend your time with each other…"_

Whenever possible, they tried **not** to spend time with one another. They would just get sick in their stomach if they were to spend **any** time together. They would be too disgusted in looking at each other's faces. Next thing you know, they would be spitting at each other faces to get rid of the other. Actually, Sakura wouldn't mind doing that, but Sasuke… she didn't know.

_"How far your relationship is getting…"_

How far…? They were hating each other's guts more and more. Well, Sakura was hating her fiancée's guts more and more. She thought that he might be a completely different guy, but she had been right all along. Uchiha Sasuke was nothing more than a complete egotistic, cold hearted, arrogant and emotionless bastard that he is! How could she have thought that he was something more than that?! How utterly stupid had she been!

"It's more like an Uchiha and Haruno family dinner," Sumire winked with a smile, making Sakura bury her negative thoughts at the back of her brain.

Sakura's lip twitched. She was furious. How could her mother do this?! Uchiha and Haruno dinner…? Since when had there been an Uchiha and Haruno dinner. There's not suppose to be an Uchiha and Haruno dinner. It should only be a **Haruno **dinner.

_It's suppose to be our only time to spend together. It's only suppose to be you, Temari-neechan, Kankuro-niichan, Gaara-niichan, and me spending time together. Why does the Uchihas have to be invited?_ Sakura thought selfishly with a crunched face.

It was downright selfish. She knew that. But she didn't want to be a part of the Uchiha's. Now… she didn't want to spend time―or get to know of her fiancée, Uchiha Sasuke, anymore.

All she wanted now… was just to spend time with her family―and her family alone. She didn't want a bunch of strangers coming in their house, having dinner with them on one of the most important days for her family. Too bad that even though she really wanted to complain about it, she couldn't. Not that it would do her any good. Afterall, if her mother had already made up her mind, it was very close to impossible to change her mind. Therefore, complaining would be a waste of her time―and energy.

Sighing, she chose to keep her mouth shut and just go to her room as quickly as possible. Walking towards the bottom of the stairs, a plan formed in her mind. Their bet was still on, wasn't it? She had a bet with the two Uchiha brothers, and both were dealing about her relationship with her fiancée, the younger brother, Uchiha Sasuke. She closed her eyes and opened them once more with a deep breath, determination erupting from her. She wasn't going to lose. She was going to take their bets seriously now. She wasn't going to play games anymore.

This time, she wouldn't think of actually changing her relationship with Sasuke. They were fine as enemies, that's for sure. And they would stay **as **enemies. She would make sure of that. She would make sure that Uchiha Sasuke would be the one to break their engagement, and thus, making her the winner of the two bets that she had set up with the Uchihas.

Sakura was at the middle of the stairs when Sumire stopped her from leaving with a question. A question that had succeeded in finally making Sakura snap.

"Sakura-chan, what do you think of your fiancée, Sasuke-kun?" Sumire grinned with positive assumptions in mind.

Sakura was silent, astounded by the question. Her face was twisted in a sour and disgusted expression. _Sasuke-__**kun**__,_ she thought in disgust. Since when did her mother call her fiancée Sasuke-**kun**. She was getting too formal, too familiar, and too damn friendly with the Uchihas it's making her sick.

"I―**hate**―him," she uttered, spilling all her hatred towards the Uchiha in that tiny sentence.

Now this… was something she would answer as honestly as possible. She wouldn't pass the chance on finally giving her mother her thoughts about this pathetic engagement. She might not have an opinion with the upcoming Uchiha and Haruno dinner―actually she does, but that wasn't the point! The point was that by enlightening her mother how much she despised her fiancée, she wouldn't need to **pretend** during that upcoming dinner that she had fallen in love with him. As if.

She scoffed in disdain before running up the stairs. Sumire was left alone at the bottom of the stairs, gaping in shock as she looked up at the top of the stairs. Sakura… hated him. She hated her fiancée. Oh dear, she couldn't have that now. If they were going to get married―and she would make sure that they **would** get married―they needed to be in love with each other, and not the other way around.

The emotion called love doesn't occur very often in arrange marriages. Sometimes, love is a feeling that remains unknown in arranged marriages―it is never felt by either individual.

_It seems that I need to go pay the Uchihas a visit tomorrow,_ Sumire thought with a secretive and sly smile.

* * *

Sakura sighed as she plopped her arms on the balcony's marble railing. She crossed her arms, placed them on the railing and stared at the night sky above, watching the small and twinkling stars and the full moon looming above. She had a distant, yet thoughtful expression on her face, but she looked quite peaceful and calm.

The smile that was already present on her lips widened as she recalled a memory from the past. Her eyes suddenly became blurry from the tears brimming from the powerful emotions that she felt within the memory.

"The sky looks nice, doesn't it?"

Hearing a voice talk from behind her startled her, making a tear freely fall down her cheek. Wiping it immediately, she glance back to find Gaara leaning on the doorway of the balcony.

Sakura frowned at Gaara's feeble way on trying to start a conversation. "Why do you always come in my room without permission, Gaara-niichan? Can't you knock?"

Gaara shrugged uncaringly and approached his little sister, who just watched him carefully. He looked up in the night sky, when he was now standing beside her. Sakura continued to watch him, engrossed by her brother's motives of being here.

"Bad day?" Gaara muttered, making Sakura finally turn away from him.

"Yeah," Sakura murmured with a sigh. Too many things happened to her today, and she knew that there were more to come.

No one knew what to say, so all they did was stare at the night sky filled with sparkling stars of different color hues that wasn't really noticable unless one focuses their attention each of the stars above.

"Why is it…?" Sakura breathed out, preoccupied with something. "It's like…" Sakura shook her head, contemplating about something.

Gaara could only pay her a glance of curiosity. He knew what she was thinking about, since during this time, Sakura could only think of one thing.

"I guess…" Sakura started with a sigh, "… that I'm the only one who hasn't moved on… huh?"

Gaara felt it. She was still sad. Even now, she couldn't move on. She was still thinking about that moment―letting her guilt overwhelm her. He knew that she wanted to move on, but just… couldn't.

"Mother… has already… moved on," Sakura said sadly. She didn't think that her mother would move on so fast. It had only been three years since her father's death. It may have seemed to be a long time, but it didn't feel that way for her. She could still remember the day that she saw her father one last time before he passed away. She still regretted what she did on that day―even now.

Gaara kept silent. He would let her pour out all her feelings; she needed it. She needed someone who would listen to her bury herself with guilt and remorse―even though it was stupid―and he was willing to do that for her. If that was what he could do to make his sister feel **even **a little better, then he would do it.

"But… I still can't," Sakura sighed. She burried her head into her arms, hiding her facial expression from Gaara's sight.

"Feeling sorry for yourself won't get you anywhere," Gaara stated, not bothering to look at her. He wasn't a mushy person. This was his way of helping his sister feel better. However, his tone sounded as if he was insulting her.

Sakura giggled as she heard this, but it only came as a muffled sound because she burried her head in her arms. She knew that Gaara was trying to make her feel better. He just needed more practice if he was ever going to get himself a girlfriend because he really sounded like he was insulting somebody.

"You have to move on too… sooner or later," Gaara said straightforwardly. "Because you're not the only one whose father died."

_I remember, Gaara-niichan, Temari-neechan, and Kankuro-niichan's father died as well,_ Sakura thought sorrowfully. That was the main reason why her mother married her father. Even though her mother married another person, her siblings still kept their last name. Sumire understood this―_miraculously_―and respected their wishes.

This fact helped Sakura at school, since she had a completely different last name from the Sabakus, no one would suspect that they were related. The Sabakus were popular at school though, making people who sees Sakura talking to her siblings think that she was their pet slave at school. It was better that way. They didn't need to think of anything more.

Sakura looked up and turned to the dark sky once more. "How were you able to… you know… move on?" She asked softly.

"You must have forgotten that I don't remember anything about my father. He died when I was still a baby." Gaara replied flatly.

Sakura sweat dropped. A sheepish laugh escaped her throat as she flushed in embarrassment, "I… er… forgot about that."

Gaara smirked when he noticed his little sister's embarrassment and saw her flushing in a pinkish hue, "You should ask that question to Kankuro or Temari. Though, I would think that the better one to ask would Temari about that.

"He was also like a father to me… even more than my own," Gaara stated in a whisper. He concealed the emotions that he was feeling, and his sister could only imagine what his real feelings were. Gaara chose to show his affection for other people through actions and not words. He wasn't the expressive type.

"Really," viridian orbs looked to her brother's own set of sea green ones tearfully, offering him a sad smile. It was true. Her half brother became more closer to **her** father since Gaara's own father died when he was still a child. The person he came to know as his father was Haruno Sora. She knew that he would be in the boat as her, but the question was: does it still bothers him? Has he moved on yet?

She chose to kept silent, and keep that fact unknown to her to linger in her mind unanswered. There were things that she be kept unknown. For her, this was one of them. She didn't want to disturb her brother's privacy any more than she had already. His presence by her side, comforting her was enough. She didn't need anything more. The least she could do was give her brother the privacy he deserves.

Maybe, that wasn't it. Maybe, she already knew the answer to her own questions. Gaara might have already moved on… and now, she had to try and do the same thing.

After a brief moment of silence, "Ne, Gaara-niichan…?" she asked out of innocent curiosity. Both of their mother's husbands died, and it was making her wonder…

"Hm," Gaara responded with a grunt.

Pouting thoughtfully, Sakura continued her question, "… Is mother cursed?" She tilted her head to observe Gaara's reaction, patiently awaiting for his response.

Gaara restrained the snort that was coming from his throat that it sounded more like a scoff instead. Placing a gentle hand on his little sister's head, he ruffled her neatly kept hair, making it messy and accidentally bringing some of her pink hair to obscure her face.

"Ah! Gaara-niichan―stop that!" Sakura yelled, agitated by how her brother showed his brotherly affection.

Patting Sakura's head, he entered the manor. "Go to sleep. We have school tomorrow." Gaara said, as he continued to walk towards the door that led inside Sakura's bedroom.

When Gaara disappeared behind the closed glass door and was already inside the manor, Sakura breathed out a sigh, glancing up at the full moon above. A wind blew chilly wind blew past, ruffling her hair and bringing some of the stubborn strands to cover her face. She tucked the strands that covered her face behind her ears, and mumbled to the sky, "If you're still alive, would you agree with this arranged marriage, father?"

She took a few more moments to admire the peaceful and serene night sky before trailling her brothers footsteps and going inside the manor into her bedroom, preparing to sleep.

* * *

Sakura glanced at the wall clock and noticed that it was seven thirty in the morning. She groaned and burried her head to the desk. This was the last time she was going to go to school so early in the morning. Why did she go to school so early today? Oh yeah, she didn't want to see her mother and hear more about the dinner that was going to happen this evening. She would try to avoid the topic as much as possible.

It was a relief that her fiancée wasn't here yet, which was odd. He was usually the very first person who was in class. Talk about punctual. Well, no matter. It was better this way. She didn't want to deal with him right now. She had seen him enough during the time she spent at school, and now, they were going to have dinner together! Her life was just getting better and better―sarcasm intended.

Sakura stood up, thinking of roaming around the school until it was time for class. It was better than staying in a deserted classroom with no sign of a human life form around. She felt like she was in a haunted classroom. Shaking off the scary thought, she walked out of the classroom.

When she reached the doorway, however, a familiar figure emerged from the other side of the doorway. Remaining casual and indifferent on seeing her fiancée, Uchiha Sasuke, she walked out of the classroom without giving as much even a mere glance to recognize his presence.

The two of them passed by each other without a single grunt, mutter or mumble of their usual greeting to each other. Sasuke didn't even bother to insult his fiancée as she brushed passed him like how he always did whenever he would see her, or get a chance to talk to her. Sakura didn't give him the usual glare that she sent him whenever they would bump into each other.

Their shoulders brushed passed each other gently as Sasuke entered the classroom and Sakura exited the desserted room. They both went to the opposite direction without paying much of a glance to the other. It was like they didn't even notice each other's presence, or maybe, they just ignored the fact that they were there.

* * *

Sakura took a stroll down the hall like nothing even happened. Yes, she did notice **who** the person that she passed by; however, it didn't matter to her. Today was her father's death anniversary. She didn't have time to deal with her aggravation she felt towards her fiancée right now. But somehow, she couldn't help but feel a pang in her chest when he did the same thing to her.

She didn't know whether he was doing it on purpose, or if something was on his mind. Still…

Turning to a corner, Sakura couldn't help but bump into a solid chest for being too preoccupied with her thoughts. Stumbling backwards because of the force, she was about to trip when she lost her balance and fall down to the ground on her rear, but a hand swiftly wrapped aroun her arm before it did.

Sakura gulped in relief, as someone pulled her up in a standing position once more. She looked up and was about to thank the stranger that kindly helped her, but she gasped in surprise when she realized who it was.

"Neji-san, it's you," Sakura muttered in shock.

Neji only smirked at the sight of her shocked expression, "Yeah, it's me."

"I never imagined that you go to school this early," Sakura thought out loud. Her thoughts seems to just freely flow out of her mouth without thinking because she was too shocked to pay attention.

"Is that an insult?" Neji asked, raising an amused brow. "Shouldn't you say thank you when someone helps you from falling down painfully on your rear?" He asked, or rather―stated bluntly.

"Ah, thank you," Sakura bowed with respect. He was an upper classmen after all… and her best friend's cousin.

Neji released her arm from his firm, yet gentle grip, and watched her face scrunch up nervously. He figured that she was getting rather tense in his presence. He gave no second thoughts when he asked her about it personally. "Is my presence making you nervous?"

Sakura immediately shook her head… too quickly. "No, no, it's not that. I just had something in my mind that's all." She bit her lip nervously.

"Oh, do tell," Neji said coolly.

What was she suppose to do? She couldn't just ask him face to face if he met a pretty roseate haired girl during the weekend. That would be suicidal―not to mention plain stupid, but that was exactly what she wanted to know. All she had to do was reword it in a sentence that wouldn't make her looks suspicious. She couldn't have anyone know her secret, now, would she.

"Um, it's nothing really." She shook her head once more, trying to take away Neji's arising suspicion of her.

Boy, was she nervous. Really nervous.

"Um, Neji-san, did anything unusual happen during your weekend?" Sakura gulped, as she realized what just came out of her mouth. Oh great! She was dead! Now, he would definitely know who she was… and what she was hiding.

_"Did anything unusual happen during your weekend?"_

That was just the same thing as, _"Did you meet a pretty roseate haired girl during the weekend."_

Different rewording. Same meaning. Damn it! What's wrong with her? Is her brain turning into mush or what?

Sakura really wanted to just smack her head. That was really stupid. Neji was smart. He didn't need to analyze the situation to know what's going on. He would be able to catch up to her plan. All she knew now was that she was doomed! Doomed!

But Neji's answer said otherwise.

"No, nothing special happened. It was the same." Neji shrugged indifferently.

Sakura had to restrain herself from gawking from Neji's answer, so that she wouldn't arouse any **further** suspicion. She was safe! She was still safe! _Oh Buddha! Remind me to recite a prayer to you later!_ She can't believe it. Faith was on her side!

"Ah, I see," Sakura said, trying to make herself sound disappointed, but she was sighing with relief inside. If she wasn't about to let herself look suspicious, she had to make conversation flow. She also needed to change the topic before she **really** blows her cover. She just needed to think of the right things to say…

"Um, Neji-san, is Hinata here already?" Sakura asked carefully.

Neji nodded casually, "I just don't know where she is."

Sakura shook her head with a grateful smile, "That's okay. That's all I needed to know." Walking past Neji, Sakura gave one final glance and said, "Thanks again, Neji-san. I'll talk to you later."

After that, they both left to the opposite directions. Unknown to Sakura though, Neji had a knowing smirk as if he was hiding something.

_Yeah, I'll see you later._

* * *

He was just passing by, and just encountered the infamous―but not as famous as the Uchihas―Hyuuga Neji, and the geeky Haruno Sakura. He was now leaning on the wall at a hidden corner, watching the two intently. He heard every single detail of their converstaion. He saw Sakura depart, and was now watching Hyuuga Neji walking to the direction he was in.

He knew that he better leave before he gets caught and being accused as a spy, which was exactly what he was doing.

But before he snuck away, he noticed something in the Hyuuga's expression that caught his eye instantly. He saw a glint of cognizance were hidden in his clear white eyes as he talked to Sakura.

His lips twisted into a sly smirk as he realized what this meant… at least, he had the gist of it.

_This is getting even more and more interesting._

* * *

Sasuke sighed for the 5th time since he left his house to come to school. He couldn't get the image of that girl of his head. Everytime he closed his eyes, he would see her face filled with pain stricken tears cascading down her cheeks. He could even remember the stinging pain he felt on his cheek to where she slapped him yesterday.

He inwardly cursed at himself. Maybe, he should apologize. Wait… should he even apologize?

_"Don't speak to me… as if you know everything about me." She spoke in a low voice that revealed all the flooding emotions that she was feeling. It was upset, furious, offended, and sad. "Because by far… you still know nothing about me. Absolutely… nothing."_

Yes, he really needed to apologize. He had never apologized before―not for anything. But this strange feeling that he felt was driving him nuts. He felt guilty―and he hated feeling guilty! He wanted to clear his conscience, but there was one little problem.

That girl was a complete stranger. She was right―he didn't know anything about her. He didn't know where she lived, what school she went to, or how old she was, but most of all―he didn't even know her name. How was he suppose to find someone, if he didn't know their name. Using the information with only the person's features to find someone was really difficult―not to mention that it would take much longer.

So, what now? Was he suppose to live with this guilt for the rest of his life? Funny thing was that he had done many worse things, but he had to feel guilty about hurting a girl―a stranger no less. Why, oh, why did he have to be pent up with guilt for hurting one girl?

"Sasuke-teme, you look preoccupied?" Naruto's snickering face suddenly appeared in Sasuke's line of vision. Normally, anyone who had someone sneak up on them while they were busy contemplating with their thoughts would be hyperventilating from that startling greeting, but this was Uchiha Sasuke. He would never show any emotions that were a sign of weakness.

What did he do then?

Sasuke grunted placidly. There goes Naruto again, bothering him like what he always does. "Why are you bothering me?" Sasuke asked flatly.

Naruto snarled, "You owe me―you bastard!"

"What do I owe you?" Sasuke asked holding the same flat tone in his voice. His cold and dry humor seem to flow naturally even though he wasn't thinking of it.

A menacing growl errupted in Naruto's throat as he stated, "You ditched me!"

Still not paying attention to what Naruto was saying, but to his own thoughts, Sasuke was only brought back to reality after hearing his best friend's accusation. He blinked, not remembering that he had done such a thing. "I did?"

"Yes, you did," Naruto replied with a growl. "Don't tell me you don't remember?" He started twitching, when the thought occurred to him.

"No," Sasuke didn't even think for a second thought about his answer. No one knew whether he was being sarcastic, or he really didn't remember. Though, it was obvious that he was unfazed by the negative vibes that Naruto sent towards him when he said this.

"How can you not remember! You ditched me for a **girl** you damn bastard!" Naruto pointed his index finger towards Sasuke accusingly and frantically.

Naruto's loud mouth only helped by creating gasps from most of the female students residing in the classroom. If Naruto's obnoxious mouth said anything more, there would be a whole new rumor spreading about him. Sasuke didn't need that. He didn't need another pain in the neck to think about.

"Shut up―before I make you," Sasuke warned through gritted teeth.

"Make me," Naruto stated stubbornly and firmly.

Naruto didn't even had time to react before he was socked in the noggin, making him kiss the floor because of the unwanted contact. Blame it on his pouted lips, when he was smacked by the Uchiha.

Naruto stood up, spitting saliva, apparently disgusted by the taste of the dirty floor. Giving a pissed off glare, Naruto went balistic ones more, "What did you do that for?" This time, he didn't sound as pissed off like how he was before. He was more annoyed than pissed.

"You calmed down yet?" Sasuke stated coolly.

Naruto merely scoffed in reply. "You ditched me." He repeated, but expected a different response this time.

"So, I did," Sasuke sighed, giving a positive―not really―feedback that Naruto wanted. It was just so he would shut up.

Sitting at an empty seat in front of Sasuke's, Naruto scoffed, "You know how rude that was."

_"If you must know, that selfish action of yours was very rude." Sasuke stated coolly._

Sasuke shook the unwanted memory before his guilt start swallowing him up again by remembering his disasterous conversation with the mysterious girl he met at the festival. She really won't leave him alone, would she? Damn, it was getting annoying. That girl was getting really annoying.

"Hn," Sasuke sounded, wanting to change the subject.

Naruto was already calming down, but he was still holds a tiny grudge for being ditched on the street, left completely alone. "Che, but you know, once you think about it," he paused, as all the signs of anger gone for the moment when an interesting though struck him. "You don't just grab just any girl and run off to ditch your best friend."

Sasuke wasn't easily provoked. Being as calm and collected as before, he rose an unfazed brow, "So?"

"It seems just like in a romance movie. A guy runs off with the girl he loves and elopes." Naruto chuckled humorously. "Ah… those were such great stories."

Sasuke grunted, "I wouldn't exactly call it 'love'. That's going a little overboard." He paused, changing the subject, "You really must be gay."

"You should be talking about yourself," Naruto snapped angrily, standing up from his chair in gesture.

A pause.

Naruto plopped back down into the chair with a sigh; his mood completely changed, "Then again, running off with a girl you don't even know is helping you redeem yourself." He snickered teasingly, but in their relationship, it would be in a more taunting way.

Sasuke rolled his eyes mockingly, "Great… is that all you have to say?"

Naruto suddenly laid his elbows, leaning on Sasuke's table with an inquisitive look on his face. What could he possibly want now? "So?"

"So what?" Sasuke asked impatiently.

"What happened?" Naruto had a deliberate grin moving on his lips.

"Would you shut up if I tell you?" Sasuke turned away to the side and grunted. He knew he had to, so he told him everything that had happened **with** his embarrassing experience of being slapped by a girl as well.

Oh, how he regrets this very much, when he heard the frizzy blonde snort, trying to hold his laughter. Alas, he couldn't hold his laugh any longer that he opened his mouth and let his laughter ring freely around the closed classroom.

"Should I ask you to stop, or do I have to do that for you," Sasuke threatened with a closed fist.

Naruto waved his arms as a sign of defeat. "Okay, okay," he started, but still continued to laugh. He took many deep breaths, trying to calm himself down. "I just can't believe that you got slapped by a girl. I can imagine what your expression might be. Oh, that would've been priceless!"

"It's great to know that your amused," Sasuke commented, dipping his tone with sarcasm.

"But you know, you're really good at hurting a girl's feelings," Naruto stated thoughtfully.

An image of the crying girl flashed in his mind, making him sigh. "Whatever," he groaned, swallowing his pride for once. It was true. What could he do? He just had to accept the truth that he was wrong, swallow his pride, and apologize. But he still didn't know how to do that when he can't even locate the girl. "But there's one problem…"

Naruto frowned, "And that would be?"

"I don't know how to find her. I don't even know her name," Sasuke admitted.

Naruto laughed out loud, "Oh, that's rich!" Sometimes, even though his best friend was a block of ice cube, his dry humor could still give a laugh to an already cheerful guy like him. Then again, Naruto could laugh at anything.

"Thought so too," Sasuke added sardonically. "Do you even know her name?"

Naruto grimaced and shook his head, "No."

Sasuke sighed in defeat.

Naruto grinned, "But I do know how you can find her," he informed, snickering secretively.

"Shoot," Sasuke's dark pools were fixated on Naruto. He didn't want to waste any more time. The faster that he could see that girl, the faster he could clear his conscience.

"You should go talk to Gaara. He seems to know her," Naruto said with a nod.

"Gaara, huh?" Sasuke's eyes wandered off to the direction of the window.

"Now that I've given you some valuable information" ―Sasuke sent Naruto a cold glare, making him force a uneasy laugh for assuming such a farfetched thought slip out of his mouth―"I mean… it's valuable to you."

It was **almost **the same thing, but… it'll do.

"It'll only be fair if you cough up that secret of yours as well," Naruto grinned patiently, but Sasuke's interpretation was a sneaky snickering blonde, making fun of him.

"What secret?"

He leaned even closer―a little close for Sasuke's comfort―and whispered so that only the two of them could hear, "Tell me, why did you try and kiss Sakura-chan in the hallway last week?"

Sasuke could feel himself cringed as he heard this. Oh great, Naruto just had to give him another thing to think about. Not only that, but Naruto also knew how to make his life miserable.

He really wanted to just beat his frizzy blonde friend into a bloody pulp, so that he wouldn't keep bothering him with his personal business. He really didn't want to tell him his innermost feelings, but Naruto would only cause more havoc in his life for him to do so.

With a grumbling sigh, Sasuke was left with no choice but to tell him. "I… felt like it," he turned away, sparring himself from Naruto's annoying expression.

There was a pregnant silence in the air around the two boys. Yes, that was Sasuke's innermost confession.

Sasuke felt oddly about this and looked at his friend at the corner of his eye. Bad idea.

Naruto was shaking ferociously because of the silent laughter that he was trying to contain, but he only succeeded in creating a set of snorts that annoyed Sasuke even more.

"Shut up," Sasuke snapped firmly.

Naruto was now laughing his wits off. Sasuke's threat seem to only intimidate him into pissing the Uchiha off even more―or was it just too funny for him to resist the temptation of sharing his humoured mind to the world… er, class.

"Hn," Sasuke was too pissed off to make a sardonic remark.

"You… felt like it," Naruto choked out, when his stomach was struck with pain because of his constant laugh. Taking a deep breath, and thinking that he should stop making fun of his cold friend before he would regret it later, he breathed out, "I just… can't believe… you would kiss a girl just because… you felt like it."

"Felt like it," Naruto repeated, engaging himself in another fits of laughter, but stopped when the pain in his stomach returned. "Ouch, my stomach," he clutched his abdomen in pain.

"Remind me that this will be the last time I'll tell you anything," he was getting annoyed with the constant laughing that he was hearing.

"Sasuke, you're awfully hilarious today," Naruto commented, combining it with his low chuckling.

"Yeah, I noticed," Sasuke remarked sardonically.

"Oh, I can't wait to tell Sakura-chan," Naruto stood up elatedly. However, before he could even lift a foot to walk away, a hand grabbed the collar of his shirt, stopping him from unnecessary movements. In this case, walking.

Naruto laughed uneasily, considering that there was a hand gripping the collar of his shirt tightly, and he could be choked to death any time. He had to watch out on what he would say, or it might be the end of him, and his precious neck. "I was only kidding. You know that." Beads of sweat was dripping from his head and down to his chin from the nervousness that he felt.

"I'm sure you were," was the only reply that Naruto heard before he was turned around, facing a cold hearted glare that Sasuke sent him. The hand gripping the back of his collar only moved just to switch its position that had now moved to the front of his collar. The Uchiha's glare grew more threatening, and his obsidian orbs narrowed dangerously, "Get this through your head, and let me rephrase what I said. What I meant is that: it felt right. The moment just felt right, and that's all there is to it."

Sasuke released the steady grip that he had on Naruto's collar and pushed him in a threatening way. Imagine―he didn't even stand up from his seat when he did this.

Naruto stumbled was able to get his balance by taking a few, unsteady steps backwards. "Why do you always have to be so aggressive to get your point across?" He glared irritatedly.

"Hn."

* * *

"This is the first time you ever came to the dojo in the morning, Sakura-chan." Hinata smiled, "I wonder… what's the occasion?"

The two girls were walking to class. Sakura had just came to the school dojo to pick Hinata up, so that the two of them could make their way to class.

"I just wanted to get out of the house," Sakura replied with an exasperated sigh.

"You know, I was calling your cellphone yesterday, but it was always busy. I wanted to invite you to go out with me, but I couldn't contact you. So, I had to go with Neji-niisan," Hinata's shoulders slumped with a disappointed sigh.

"Really?" Sakura sweat dropped. _That sounded just like a date._ It was a good thing too. Hinata didn't seem to remember about seeing her after all. She was safe… for now.

"Actually, father forced him. Father gave Neji-niisan the job of protecting a girl like me from any perverted men. He said that as a man, Neji-niisan should come with me when I went out." Hinata looked up and lifted her index finger to her chin in a thoughtful manner.

"That sounds like he became your bodyguard," Sakura commented.

Hinata giggled, "But you know, he didn't complain at all, and was seem to be fine with it." She paused, as an important thought occurred to her. "Neji-niisan is like an older brother I never had," Hinata couldn't help but smile as she said this.

"He's lucky to have someone like you as a little sister," Sakura replied. Somehow, when she saw her best friend's honest and sincere smile, she couldn't help but feel guilty. Closing her hands into a tight fist, she tried to bury the guilt deep inside her… just like how she used to do all the time; however, this time, her guilty conscience seemed to be overpowering her this time.

This only happens to her whenever she visited Tsubasa. That girl… really knew how to make her feel guilty. That was one thing she hated each time she became that girl again.

* * *

School was over, and he was glad to be home. Now, he could go upstairs into his room and sleep. He needed to relax, and a good night's rest was definitely a good idea.

He walked inside the manor towards the direction of the living room. But the person that greeted him when he came inside was someone he least expected.

"Ah, Sasuke-kun, what a nice surprise!"

Sasuke blinked, trying to figure out if his eyes was deceiving him. Blinking a few more times, he realized that he wasn't. "Sumire… san…?" There was his fiancée's mother sitting comfortably on their sofa. He really didn't know what he felt in seeing his **future** mother-in-law in his household, not that he would let that happen. He wouldn't let himself get married to that geeky daughter of hers, but it couldn't hurt in being polite. "What are you… doing here?" That question came out as a sneer. Oh well, so much for being polite.

Sumire held a cheerful smile on her face, "Ah, you know―about that―"

"Sasuke-kun!" A chirping voice interrupted Sumire from finishing her… ambiguous sentence.

"Mother," Sasuke watched as Mikoto entered the room and approched his shocked figure. "What are you doing here?" His mother and father were supposed to be out of the country for a business trip. Their business trips always ate away their time schedules that they only had time to come home when it was one of their children's birthday, or if there was an important occasion. "Don't tell me father's here as well."

But right now, Sasuke didn't know what the occasion was… at all. He also had this feeling in the pit of his stomach that he didn't want to know, or find out.

"Of course he is! He's just making a phone call in his office, cancelling all his appointments for the next two days." Sumire smiled gleefully. "Both of us will be staying with you for the next two days, and we're leaving at the third day."

"What's the occasion?" Sasuke frowned with utter confusion. This was really getting weird.

Mikoto looked slightly taken aback that her son had no clue what was going on, "Itachi must have forgotten to tell you," but she thought that it might have been better this way. "We'll be having dinner with the Harunos this evening." Mikoto grinned slyly. Leaving her son in the dark until the last minute was a wise decision, since it would be too late for Sasuke to complain about.

Sasuke's mouth twitched, "You came all the way here just for that." He was getting rather irritated on his parents―and their rash decisions. Really irritated.

"Why of course!" Mikoto exclaimed happily. "This is one of the times when I can see the blooming relationship of my dear son. As your mother, I want to be able to give the two of you my blessings."

Sasuke fought the urge to release a growl, "This engagement isn't even official yet."

Mikoto tsked as she wiggled her index finger with a wink, "Ah, but, that isn't your decision, now, is it?"

Sasuke turned away from his mother dominating gaze with a scoff. Parents with their superiority complex. Never underestimate it.

"But unless you ask nicely, I could remove this engagement of yours and we could move on with our lives," Mikoto suggested with the smile on her face still present.

Sasuke's eyes perked up at hearing his mother's suggestion. His mother would do that for him. Really?

Sumire could only gape in shock, and she seemed very much offended by what she just heard.

"I'm only kidding. Now why do you think I would do that," Mikoto's smile turned into a devious grin that was only reserved for her dearest son. The thing she loved the most about her son is the fact that he was really teasable even with his cold hearted attitude.

Sumire sighed with relief. She had thought that Mikoto was serious. All their hard work in getting their children engaged with have been all for nothing.

"Never mind," Sasuke grumbled with great disappointment. "Why today of all days? It's the first day of the week." Well, for school, that is.

"Do parents need a reason, dear?" Mikoto asked. She really had great superiority complex.

"I don't want to go," Sasuke said stubbornly.

The smile on Sumire's face faltered as a solemn expression replaced her cheerful attitude a while ago, "Your father will be greatly disappointed in you."

Sasuke couldn't help but cringe when he heard this. He cursed inwardly when he turned away from his mother with a snarl. He was pissed. Why does his parents do this to him? Engagement? Love wasn't even in his list yet. Heck, he had never even fallen in love yet, or fell head over hells in **any** girl. Now, his parents were trying to bring him and his fiancée together with a simple get together dinner party.

It was simple really. He didn't like her. She didn't like him. There was no way their relationship could go farther than that. Well, except loathing each other even more. That would be probable.

"Shouldn't you go and get ready, dear? It'll only be a matter of time before we leave." Mikoto said, glancing at the golden wristwatch strapped on her petite wrist.

Sasuke nodded without a word―just like an obedient child―and was about to leave the living room to go to his bedroom.

Sumire whirled her attention towards Mikoto. "Mikoto, ask him," she whispered hastily.

"Why?" Mikoto whispered back, frowning visibly.

"Just―just do it," Sumire hissed, "Before your son leaves."

Mikoto sighed inaudibly, _Fine, but I don't know why we need to know this. _"Sasuke dear, what do you think of your fiancée, Sakura-chan?"

Sumire chose to stay silent and waited patiently for her son to enlighten them with his answer.

_Sakura-__**chan**_, Sasuke twitched at the thought. They didn't see this slight reaction occurred on his face for his back was facing them. He turned around with a cold gaze on his features, "She's annoying." Sasuke's dark pool were narrowed as he gave them his most honest answer. He wasn't lying. That's what he thought of her.

_"I hate you," she spat out._

And that's what he was going to say. It was the truth, and he was going to give them the truth. It was his way of saying that their 'annoying' engagement will never work out. After all, arranged marriages could never work out… the relationship, that is.

Mikoto grew anxious as she watched her youngest son walk away from them as he exited the living room. "Oh dear, that's bad, very bad," Mikoto said, shaking her head.

"Sadly, that's what my 'dearest' daughter thought so too," Sumire informed with a troubled sigh.

"What?" Mikoto asked, as she only got the gist of what Sumire meant. Actually, she really didn't understand what Sumire was saying at all.

"My daughter just proclaimed to me yesterday about how much she hated Uchiha Sasuke," Sumire shook her head, as a migrane was starting to occur.

"Oh dear, that isn't good either," Mikoto grimaced. Not good, but very bad.

"It's no surprise that those two hate each other," a new voice joined in the conversation that alerted the two women immediately.

"Itachi!" Mikoto's anxiety seem to disperse into thin air at the sight of her oldest son coming in the room to join their conversation. "You listened to all of that."

"Of course mother, you know how curious I am with those two's relationship," Itachi smirked, "I find it oddly amusing." _Seeing them suffer,_ Itachi added mentally.

"Itachi, how nice it is to see you again," Sumire smiled as a greeting, forgetting about their problem momentarily and focusing on the arrival of the oldest Uchiha.

"They might hate each other, but don't you think that this dinner that you set up can also help in bringing those two stubborn mules together." Itachi said, trying to enlighten the problem.

"That may be true," Sumire nodded.

"But that won't be enough for them to really **be **together," Mikoto added with a groan.

"Then take it up a notch," Itachi smirked at the sneaky suggestion that he made.

Sumire unexpectedly snapped her fingers, and was now giggling secretively as an excellent idea struck her, "I got it."

"What?" Mikoto inquisitively asked.

A sly smirk was brought upon Sumire's lips because of the idea that struck her, "Marriage counselling."

_Well isn't that amusing,_ Itachi thought entertainingly. Sumire's idea had been quite suprising for him.

"Marriage counselling? But they aren't even married yet?" Mikoto exclaimed, gaping in shock.

Sumire seeemed to be unfazed by this. "Not to worry." Turning to Itachi, she asked, "Are you willing to help us, Itachi-san?" She knew that this was something that the elder Uchiha would not pass by.

Itachi nodded with a knowing smirk on his face, "Of course I will."_ Seeing those two struggle just makes my day._

"Then its settled. Everything will go into action during this evening. This will be the most memorable dinner that those two will get." Sumire concluded with smirk.

Itachi's smirk grew even wider as the anticipation of the future events would sure was really something to look forward to. "It sure will, Sumire-san. It sure will." He knew that the dinner would become really amusing.

**_TBC_**

**

* * *

A/N: **Ah… it's been two months. I know. I'm utterly shameless, but I still updated. Isn't that a good thing? Oh… by the way… 'Happy New Year'… even though it's still kinda late. I wanted to update during Christmas, but the chapter wasn't edited in time for it. I know… the past two chapters―this one included―have been kinda slow and _uneventful_, but that would all change in the next chapter. Don't believe me… then just read the preview for the next chapter and judge for yourself.

* * *

**Chapter 14―Uchiha and Haruno Dinner**

"Before that," Sakura cast a suspicious glare towards the Kitsuneko sisters. "What is it again… that you specialize in?"

"Sexual counselling," Peitsuru replied confidently with a smile―too confidently. Not good.

"WHAT! SEXUAL COUNSELLING!!" Sakura exclaimed. Her head was starting to spin, making her feel queasy.

"What the hell," Sasuke muttered under his breath.

"Are you two ready?" Ruru asked with a smile.

Those words―really gave them the shivers. It seems like it had some hidden meaning… something not worth mentioning.

"I'm out of here," Sasuke stood up and started walking out. He wasn't going to stand by this though. 'Sexual counselling'―they've got to be kidding! There was no way―he was going to agree to that!

"I'm right behind you," Sakura agreed, standing up, trailing behind. She wanted to get away from **them**. She didn't feel good already with their unwanted presence. She knew quite well that getting away from them was the best solution.

Before Sasuke reached the door, however, Ruru's voice stopped them. Sakura stopped just right behind Sasuke when Ruru spoke.

"You should know that if you leave now, you will be forced to do something more… erotic. Try to escape and we will make sure you'll really be together―in bed." Ruru's eyes glinted with maliciousness and perhaps pervertedness.

* * *

**Updated: **January 4, 2007


	14. Uchiha and Haruno Dinner

**Engagement On Hold**

**Summary:** (AU) Uchiha Sasuke is Konoha High's reigning prince. Haruno Sakura is…? Who is she again? What happens when the guy everybody knows finds himself engaged to the girl nobody knows?

**Genre: **Romance/Humor/Drama

**Pairings:** Sasuke/Sakura, Naruto/Hinata, Itachi/Sakura (What's wrong with me? I don't really know.)

**Author: **pei-chan

**Beta-reader:** Ruru Kitsuneko

**Disclaimer:** Wouldn't it be nice if Sasuke and Sakura were really engaged in the Naruto series? Then again, that would only occur in our dreams… ne?

**

* * *

Chapter 14―Uchiha and Haruno Dinner**

"What is this?" Sumire shrieked. "Ayame! Get over here!"

A petite, pale-skinned, auburn-haired girl came running from the left of the corridor. "Yes, Sumire-sama?" Ayame inquired, a lump stuck in her throat; nervous of the damages that Haruno Sumire Sohma Sabaku might do to her. "What is it… that you need?"

"Why is Sakura wearing that ridiculous outfit?" Sumire snapped angrily at the maid, pointing an index finger inside a distinctive room that belonged to her daughter. Inside was Haruno Sakura, wearing black baggy pants and a simple red shirt. It was simple—not stylish, but casual clothes that were completely inappropriate for a semi-formal dinner. She was wearing something close to her usual hairstyle: two separate pigtails that were braided and her usual moon shaped spectacles. She was sitting comfortably in a red egg chair, staring at them with an apathetic expression on her face.

Ayame took the time to observe Sakura's attire from top to bottom. She turned her attention back to the aggravated Sumire. "She looks fine, ma'am," she replied, her anxiousness stepping up another level.

"Are you blind?" Sumire shrilled, "The Uchihas are coming to have dinner with us, and you can't even dress my daughter with the proper attire! She's supposed to wear something semi-formal―not casual!"

Ayame sweatdropped and laughed uneasily, "But―that is… um…"

"Calm down mother. Don't blame Ayame for this." Sakura stood up from her comfortable seat, feeling that it was time for her to disrupt the ongoing conversation before her mother completely lost it. She had to admit that it was really amusing to see her mother blow her wits off, but she didn't want anyone to get fired for her stubborness and selfishness. Yes, she actually admits that she's selfish. "I wanted to dress like this." She shrugged carelessly.

"Sakura," Sumire sighed with exasperation. "Why do you do this to me?"

"What?" Sakura shrugged indifferently. "If they can stand this **unique** side of me, then this engagement might really **be** worth it."

"Do you really want to embarrass yourself that much?" Sumire asked, her head whirling in turmoil at her daughter's attitude.

"If they can't stand me being this way, then that just means that I'm not **meant** to be a part of their family," Sakura smirked smugly. _Not that I want to be a part of their ludicrous family_, she added mentally. She ended the conversation there by walking away, not bothering to listen to her mother's comments and reprimands any longer. Not that Sumire will have any more comments for her daughter, since Sakura won't give her the attention she wanted.

"Just call me when time for me to show up. I'll be at the garden… arranging my speech," Sakura muttered bluntly in a flat tone of voice.

"Speech for what?" Sumire frowned.

"'How to be nice to the Uchihas'," Sakura stated, her voice oozing with dry sarcasm. That was the last thing that Sumire heard from her daughter, as Sakura was now out of her sight.

Sumire sighed once more, "What am I going to do with you?"

* * *

A knock on the door was heard.

"Come in," a muffled reply came from the other side.

The auburn-haired Ayame emerged from the other side of the door as it opened, "Sumire-sama, the Uchihas have arrived."

Sumire nodded firmly, "Did you bring them to the living room?"

"That's already been done," Ayame stated bowing her head slightly out of respect.

"Very well. Call Temari, Kankuro, Gaara and Sakura and tell them to go down to the living room as well." Sumire stood up from the black office chair she was sitting on. "I'll be heading over there now myself."

Ayame nodded and closed the door behind her to do the job that Sumire had entrusted to her.

Sumire sighed as she flopped back down into her seat. One might think that just because she was in her office, and sitting in her office chair, she would be doing work like a normal business woman even at home; however, this was Sumire. She wasn't the type to work. In fact, she didn't really take her job seriously at all.

It was a miracle how her company was able to stay afloat. It was all thanks to her late husband, Haruno Sora. He was the one who knew how to handle the business, since Sumire was only able to experience the world of luxury when her grandfather sold a huge property that they owned, which became the starting line of their escalating prosperity.

Sumire was unlike both her husbands who had their family line full of popular and wealthy people.

Glancing towards a simple silver picture frame, Sumire's lavender eyes softened at the family picture composed of the seven-year-olds Sabaku Temari (who was smiling slightly at the camera) and Sabaku Kankuro (who was grinning innocently and holding up a peace sign) sitting right beside each other, the six-year-old Sabaku Gaara (who was scowling with his arms crossed was turned away from the camera) sitting right beside Kankuro, the youngest daughter, five-year-old Haruno Sakura (who was giving her happiest smile) on the lap of her father, Haruno Sora (who was giving a grin like Kankuro, with a peace sign of his own), Sumire (who was elegantly sitting on her spot, with a gentle smile on her lips) sitting right beside her husband, and Sakura's great-grandmother Yukiru Kimisato (who tried to smile as noticeably as her wrinkled face would let her, but it turned out quite nicely) sitting right in the very middle of the picture, right in between the Sabaku children and Sumire.

A contented sigh escaped Sumire's smiling lips, at the thought of a past memory replaying in her mind.

Everything was still normal at that time. Well, not completely normal. Sakura was living with the Harunos, in her great-grandmother's house along with her father, Haruno Sora. The Sabaku trio was living in their father's mansion, refusing to leave there to live at the Haruno manor. Sumire had no choice but to stay with them, being the concerned parent that she was. She didn't want to leave them alone and left the business work to her husband. It may have seemed as if the couple was divorced, but it was just the way their life was. They were only able to see each other during the weekends.

"I'm slacking off again, eh, Sora," Sumire giggled at the thought.

* * *

Sasuke grunted inaudibly, still not liking the idea of this so-called 'dinner' that they were going to have. Why must his parents force his relationship with **that **girl? Couldn't they understand that they didn't like each other?

"Ah, would you look at that," Itachi spoke, breaking the silence in the four-apartment sized living room.

Sasuke didn't like the amused tone that he was using. It was only succeeding in ticking him off even more.

"I can't help but think that this is the second time we've been in this room," Itachi commented with an unnoticable smirk as his head turned from the left to right, observing the room with watchful eyes.

"You're right. It's that time when we first announced Sasuke-**kun** and Sakura-**chan**'s engagement." Mikoto clasped her hands together in a delighted manner.

_Sakura-_**chan**, Sasuke thought irritably, his eye twitching in the process. His mother really needed to stop getting too familiar with his fiancée. It wasn't doing his brains any good. He didn't need his mother forcing this engagement on him any more than they already had.

"Hn, that family is still the same. They're always late," Fugaku stated with a frown. He didn't like people who made him wait. He wasn't the type to be patient.

"Did you say something, Fugaku-san?" a cold, yet sneaky voice asked right behind him.

Uchiha Fugaku turned around along with the rest of the Uchihas and saw Gaara, staring at them catatonically. He was leaning against the wall beside the doorway motionless.

No one turned away from each other beside the fact that they were all staring intently at one other: the Uchihas' dark eyes and Gaara's light green ones. No one spoke, until…

"That wasn't me," Gaara stated calmly closing his eyes.

"That was me," another voice said.

The Uchihas turned towards the opposite side of the room, and saw Sabaku Temari walking towards them with a scowl.

Temari approached the Uchihas and flopped herself on the sofa that wasn't occupied by anyone in particular. She shrugged, "Really. If you want to blame someone, blame―"

"Temari―I demand a rematch!" Kankuro came running from the other side of the door, alerting everyone in the room of his presence.

Gaara's eyes stayed closed, not ignoring his siblings' dispute.

Temari seemed bemused, and gave her younger brother an impassive look. "Can't you just give up? You know that you can't beat me."

"Want me to prove that to you?" Kankuro snarled.

"Later," Temari waved her hand carelessly, gesturing a complete dismissal of the subject. "Right now, that's not important. Didn't you notice who's here right now?" Temari scowled when realization dawned on her. "Oh yeah, to remind you, it's Temari-_nee_chan! Get it!"

"Whatever," Kankuro grumbled.

Temari slouched more comfortably on the sofa she was sitting on, crossing her arms, which added to her strict position. "Honestly, you and Gaara have no respect! I'm blessed with two disrespectful brothers, who don't know how to respectfully address their elder siblings."

"At least Sakura calls you _nee_-chan," Kankuro said.

"It doesn't matter! She's not my **real** sister, if you recall," Temari scoffed. "The fact is that my real siblings don't respect me."

_They're not real siblings?_ Sasuke mentally asked himself.

"You're not the only one Temari-san," Itachi piped up, suddenly including himself in the conversation that was supposed to be only for the Sabaku siblings.

Temari turned her attention towards Itachi, "Really? Your younger brother doesn't respect you either?"

"Actually, he can't even say my name without cursing or threatening to kill me beforehand," Itachi stated, not feeling offended with his younger brother with the statement that he uttered at all. In fact, he was actually glad of the fact.

Temari couldn't help but sweatdrop when she saw the older Uchiha's smirking figure. She couldn't possibly understand what was so amusing with your own sibling cursing whenever he/she says your name… not that she wanted to know. She would rather stay in the dark and remain ignorant.

Sasuke didn't deny it. He stayed as impassive as before. It was true. There was no point in denying it. He wouldn't want to deny it either. He was fine with it. He heard a sigh from someone sitting beside him, and saw his mother looking at him anxiously.

Mikoto was silently giving Sasuke the message of apologizing to his brother for doing so.

Sasuke turned away from his mother. Nope, he wasn't guilty at all.

"Being the eldest is such a complicated thing," Temari sighed, "It also gives me a headache."

"I agree," Itachi nodded.

Sasuke and Kankuro rolled their eyes in annoyance.

Gaara stayed as motionless as before. He didn't move an inch, and was completely not caring that his older sister was talking about him at all.

"Mother's slow as always," Kankuro said with an inaudible grumble, but there was someone who heard his last words.

"What's this I'm hearing, Kankuro-kun?" a deviously cheerful voice said from behind the said boy.

"Absolutely nothing, Mother," Kankuro dismissed his past statement without a second thought. He didn't need to turn around to recognize who it was sneaking up behind him.

Sumire entered the room with a cheerful smile. "Did you give the Uchihas a warm welcome?" She eyed her family carefully.

"Sure," Temari drawled with a shrug.

"Yeah," Kankuro said hesitantly.

"Hn," Gaara sounded nonchalantly.

_They're bad at lying,_ Sasuke thought with a sweatdrop. Anyone would know the truth by just listening to the sounds of their responses. He wasn't fooled, and he knew their mother wasn't either.

Sumire continued to give an unwavering smile. If she did know they were lying, she had a good reason why she ignored it. She just accepted her children's answer with a smile on her face, even though it was quite conspicuous that they were indeed lying.

"Now, where's Sakura?" Sumire asked, looking around the room for any sign of her youngest daughter.

"Right here," Sakura said, standing right behind Sumire, leaning on the doorway. She pushed herself away from the doorway and straightened herself in a standing position. She walked further inside the room, before standing right beside her mother.

"Sakura, you're late," Sumire whispered in an exasperated sigh.

Sakura shrugged indifferently. "What? I was busy" —she gave her mother a mocking smile— "practicing my speech."

Sumire could just feel her head throbbing in pain. She was getting a migrane. Her daughter was really something. Really something. Producing a sigh, Sumire reluctantly asked, "And what kind of speech is that?"

Sakura's secretive smile grew into a grin, or rather―a sly smirk. That vanished in a mere second into an innocent smile and said, "The 'How much I hate their guts that I want to throw them out of this house' speech. Sadly, the 'How to be nice to the Uchihas' wasn't working for me, so I decided to change it." Thank goodness they were talking in low whispers. If not… Sumire didn't even want to know. "It sounds much better, doesn't it?"

Sumire's lips twitched in response. Sakura was really trying to infuriate her mother in any way possible. The worst case scenario was that it was working perfectly.

Sakura walked towards the Uchihas, ending her mother's reprimanding speech before it even got started.

"Sakura!" Sumire called out for her daughter to stop. She didn't want her daughter showing an unnecessary rude behavior just to prove her displeasure with her engagement with the younger Uchiha.

However, Sakura made no motion to utter any profanities of her annoyance when she saw something about her fiancée's attire.

Disappointment came to her when she noticed that her fiancée was wearing plain six-pocket khaki pants and an even plainer sleeveless turtleneck black shirt covered by a light-blue cotton hooded jacket with the Uchiha family emblem embroidered on the back. A thick black leather leg band was on his left thigh over his pants, which made the overall effect of the ensemble: total casual plainness. Coupled with his somewhat scruffy, but expensive sports shoes, you could now safely describe his outfit as: 'casual.' It seemed that the 'speech' that she spent time trying to organize was long forgotten the moment she saw the similarities between Sasuke's clothing — and hers. Or maybe, she didn't really organize a 'speech' in the first place. It might have been a hoax just to annoy her mother.

Stomping towards the direction where Sasuke was sitting comfortably, Sakura placed a stern hand on her hips. "What the hell!" she exclaimed angrily.

"What's your problem?" Sasuke asked indifferently. He didn't give a spare time for Sakura to start yelling at him.

Sakura leaned forward, so that her face was right by his level. However, the consequence of this was that their faces were **quite** close. Not that the two of them noticed this. Sakura was too busy glaring at Sasuke, and Sasuke was too busy mocking Sakura with an indifferent look.

"Are your trying to copy me?" Sakura asked, scowling.

"Copy you?" Obsidian orbs narrowed. "What makes you think I would want to copy someone like you? Who would even want to copy a person such as yourself?"

Oh, he did not just say that!

Sakura stiffled a growl, then said in a low voice, "Why are you wearing **those **clothes?"

What she meant was… why her 'dear' fiancée was wearing casual clothes, while the rest of his family ― along with Sakura's ― were wearing semi-formal attire. Consequently, Haruno Sakura and Uchiha Sasuke were the only ones that were wearing casual clothing. She defined it as copying for she didn't expect Sasuke to dress up in casual clothes as well.

"What are you talking about? I always wear these types of clothes. It might be you who's not usually wearing those types of clothes." Sasuke turned away with a sneering smirk. "How desperate," he added in a soft murmur.

"You insolent prick!" Sakura yelled in anger. In a low and dangerous tone, a straightforward threat came out of her mouth. "I wanna slap you… so much."

Sasuke looked at his fiancée's eyes, glaring at him with utmost hatred — which he dismissed quite easily. "I would like to see you try."

"Ah!" Sakura snapped, that mocking statement clearly shredding the last of her control. She straightened herself in a standing position once more, before bringing her face away from Sasuke's. That was when she lost the unspoken battle and started spitting out curses of vulgarity.

Sasuke could only turn his head away crudely. He really wanted to plug his ears to block Sakura's shrilling voice as she kept spouting nonstop, redundantly cursing him.

"You damn bastard! Who do you think you are! Idiotic moron! Go to hell!" Sakura shrilled angrily.

Sumire rubbed her temples with a breathy sigh.

Temari, noticing her mother's discomfort, tried to cheer her up the best way that she could. "Well, at least she's not saying how much she hated his guts!"

Actually, Sakura thought otherwise.

"I hate your guts, and every last fiber within your **very** being!" Sakura screeched.

Temari sweatdropped. "Okay… I stand corrected," she drawled.

_This isn't starting as well as I thought_, Sumire thought, rubbing her temples to ease her head from the pain… the pain that was going to keep building if this continued.

"Well, do you have something to say?" Sakura snarled, "Or, do I have to keep talking **for** you!"

Sasuke stood up, now being a couple of inches taller than Sakura was that she had to tilt her head upward to get a good look at his face. "You're annoying," he said, giving her a cold glare that made her stop ranting completely.

Mikoto couldn't fight the urge of slapping her palm against her forehead. "Maybe, Sumire-chan was right about this idea afterall," she was talking out loud, not caring who might have heard her. Afterall, it wasn't like the children whom their plan was for weren't both busy trying to snap each other's heads off to pay attention to what she had said.

_I only hope that her idea will actually make things better,_ Fugaku thought hopefully praying that their wretched plan would actually work.

_From here on in, things w__ill__ get even more interesting,_ Itachi thought with a smirk. He knew that there was something that was going to happen later. He just knew it.

"Why thank you for understanding! I knew about that fact long ago!" Sakura retorted, unaffected by Sasuke's insult. She actually took it more lightly, and accepted it. Well, not without giving her fiancée a piece of her mind by screaming at him once more. "Why don't you tell me something I **don't **know!"

_Sakura looses her temper too easily_, Kankuro and Temari both shook their heads with a knowing sigh.

No one knew what Gaara was thinking, though. He hadn't opened his eyes once ever since he closed them. Maybe, he wasn't thinking at all. Was he sleeping… or not?

* * *

Sakura couldn't help but drum her fingers on the table throughout the course of their dinner. She was restless. It was the only thing she could do that wouldn't be **that** unladylike at the table. She didn't like this dinner one bit, and her mind wasn't changing. Not one bit. In fact, she was getting more and more infuriated with every passing second.

They were all sitting on a long rectangular table with her mother sitting at the head, for she was the host of this little dinner gathering, Uchiha Fugaku and Uchiha Mikoto sitting beside each other at Sumire's left side, followed by Itachi and Sasuke who were sitting the furthest away from Sumire. At Sumire's right side were her children―or foster children, whatever she might call them―and they were sitting in the order of oldest to youngest. Therefore, Temari was the one sitting closest to her mother, next was Kankuro, then Gaara, and lastly Sakura.

Their parents were all chatting with each other cheerfully, as if they had forgotten their children were even there. Not that they even cared. They were all silent, minding their own business and eating their food quietly.

_Is it me, or did they __just __stash me in this seat so that I'll be right across _**him**, Sakura thought with a huff. Well, she should look at the bright side. At least, he wasn't talking to her, much less paying any attention to her at all.

_Why am I here again?_ Sasuke asked to himself dryly. His face remained impassive as he kept on eating like nothing was wrong.

_What kind of dinner is this? _Temari thought, grumbling to herself.

_They're the only ones talking_, Kankuro thought with a snarl.

_Meat… again_, Gaara thought, eyeing his food imperturbably. Yes, he didn't care about the situation at hand. What mattered to him was that he was eating, and he sure wasn't satisfied with his food. (Are you a vegetarian, Gaara-chan?)

Itachi… no one knew what he was thinking. In fact, it would be better off that no one knew what was going on inside that brain of his.

"Wait," Mikoto said after a fit of giggles. Something just occurred to her. "I wonder: why did you ask us to come back to the country at this time? You even notified us on such short notice that I had to rush back, so that I wouldn't miss it."

Fugaku nodded, also wondering about the same thing. "Why did you want the dinner to be today―during a weekday no less?"

Itachi and Sasuke eyed Sumire as well, interested in her answer. She must have some valuable reason for planning this 'dinner' at the last minute.

Temari and Kankuro stopped their movements and gave a concerned glance at their little sister at the other end of the table before exchanging a meaningful glance with each other. Even Gaara stopped staring at his food and glimpsed at his little sister's, watching her reaction. This wasn't left unnoticed by the Uchihas, as they became even more confused about the situation.

Sakura remained calm and emotionless, and gave an intent gaze at her mother, waiting patiently for what she was going to say. Even she was curious on what her mother's reply would be.

Sumire, noticing the apprehension that she created, decided to break it, by giving them the reply that they wanted. "Oh nothing! It's nothing special―really. I just wanted us to have the Uchiha and Haruno dinner today."

Gaara didn't need to think twice. Immediately, he turned to look at his little sister, who was sitting right beside him. Oddly, he didn't know what she was feeling because her facial expression was blank. She was looking at her plate that was still filled with luscious food. Gaara noticed that she wasn't eating a lot, and only ate bits of food through the course of dinner. She might not even finish her meal if she kept this up.

_She's alright_, Gaara thought in relief.

However, that didn't last long when Sumire said something that she shouldn't have said.

"From now on, this day will be when we'll spend the time to have a family dinner together," Sumire chirped with a grin.

"You mean we'll be doing this every year?" Mikoto asked.

Sumire nodded without a thought.

Mikoto clasped her hands together and smiled. "That's a great idea!"

Sasuke turned his head away, apparently, despising the idea. Great! This was just what he needed… a new tradition that would tie him with this family. This was just great!

Suddenly, a hand slammed loudly on the dinner table startling everyone, and interrupting everyone's statements from being completed. Everyone's attention was stolen by the girl that slammed her hands loudly on the table. The Uchihaswere all giving her looks of utter confusion, wanting a brief explanation for her rash actions.

She didn't care if they thought of her as rude. No. That didn't matter to her right now. What mattered to her was something other than that. Their thoughts were the least of her worries.

"Excuse me… I think… I need some fresh air…" with that said, she walked away from the table, ignoring everyone's gaze as she trotted towards a door within the room that would bring her out to a separate veranda in the manor.

Sasuke noticed something as she passed by. He saw her lower her head, trying to hide something from everyone in the room, but he noticed it.

A wet and moist teardrop fell down her cheek.

When the door to the veranda closed, and Sakura had already exited the room, many questions formed in the Uchihas minds. However, only one person was able to ask one question.

"What's wrong with her?" It was Mikoto that asked this question.

With a sigh, Sumire's shoulders slumped down and a gloomy expression replaced the earlier cheerfulness. "That's my fault," she admitted, regretting what she had said earlier.

"What do you mean, Sumire-chan?" Mikoto asked, trying to adjust to the situation.

Sumire gave a breathy sigh and explained sadly, "Today is actually my late husband's **death** anniversary, Haruno Sora, Sakura's father."

Immediately, all became silent. They all understood, but more questions lingered within one side of the table.

"But, why did you invite us to come here today, if the occasion today was so important for your family?" Mikoto did the talking, for she seemed to be the only one who was willing to do it.

Sumire regarded Mikoto with a pained glance, and it was then that Mikoto immediately understood. Mikoto's face softened.

"Every year… during this time… we always came together to have a dinner exactly like this. It was a way for us… to… spent time together." Sumire paused, as she took a deep breath, encouraging herself to continue. "But… even with that time we spent together, Sakura's still off within her own world, torturing herself with the past. It was because she didn't feel like she belonged to the family, since she had always lived with her father until he died."

Mikoto's eyes softened even more as she heard this. She gave her friend a sad smile, while the rest of the Uchihas kept quiet as a sign of respect, and let Sumire speak until she was done.

The Sabaku siblings already understood the situation. That was why they didn't protest about their mother's idea for they knew that the whole point of it was to help their youngest sister. It was already difficult to see her truly happy, for she would always torture herself in any way possible. An example of this was dressing herself up as a geek in Konoha High. She always tried to find a way to make herself unhappy, thinking that she didn't deserve any kind of happiness.

Maybe… just maybe, that might have been the reason why Sumire had arranged Sakura's engagement with the youngest Uchiha sibling, Uchiha Sasuke, in the first place.

"I just thought that… maybe… if I invited your family… that might help her to finally… move on… since… we'll become one family afterall." Sumire forced herself to giggle to lighten the mood within the dining room, in which she knew wouldn't do much to lift the heavy air around the room.

After a couple of moments of silence, Mikoto nodded, "I understand."

Finally getting fed up with the tension contained in the room, he stood up from his seat. If they weren't going to do anything, but just sit down and mope around, then he would do it for them. He wasn't just going to sit around and do nothing. If there was something he could do, he would do it.

"Gaara," Sumire looked up at him with great concern, when she noticed him suddenly standing up. Apparently, she didn't know what was on her son's mind. Well, it was actually quite difficult to figure out whatever Gaara was thinking. He was her son, but not even she knew what was going on within his mind.

"If none of you plan on doing something, then I will," Gaara muttered in an oddly casual tone. He was about to start retracing Sakura's steps and follow her to the veranda located just at the other side of the door of the room when a stern voice stopped him within his tracks.

"No," a terse and calm voice stated.

Gaara simply narrowed his emerald orbs and gave the person that stopped him an imperceptible glare. He didn't like what **he **just said. He wasn't going to let himself be ordered around just because **he **was the head of the Uchiha family. Alas, he didn't say anything, but just kept glaring silently at Uchiha Fuguaku, waiting for an explanation that would back up his order. It better be reasonable.

Even if Fugaku noticed the glare that Gaara was giving him, he didn't pay much attention to it. Instead, he called out for someone else, "Sasuke" ―Sasuke immediately gave his father his full and undivided attenion― "You go," he ordered.

Sasuke was immediately taken aback by this that his face momentarily showed his shocked, but it was covered immediately with a frown, "Why me?" Normally, he wouldn't question his father's decisions, but this time… it was different.

He didn't know anything about this situation. He didn't even know all the details—hell, he didn't even know _any_ detail. He just knew the gist of the situation. How the hell was he supposed to comfort her if he didn't even know what her problem was? Heck, he didn't even know how to comfort a girl for he had never done so―ever.

"You are her fiancée, are you not? You will be spending the rest of your life together" ―Sasuke couldn't help but cringe when he heard this. 'Spend the rest of your life together'―that was definitely going too far. Besides, he wasn't willing to― "So you might as well know how to comfort her within any kind of situation," Fugaku explained in a firm tone.

Still, Sasuke's mind didn't change. "But Father―"

"Think of it this way, little brother… you're deepening your relationship," Itachi stated wryly with a smirk.

"I didn't ask for your opinion, you bastard!" Sasuke retorted.

"Sasuke!" his mother reprimanded with a keen look. They had never acted this way before whenever they came to someone else's house, manor, castle, whichever you prefer, but still, that didn't mean that she would tolerate it just because it was for the very first time.

Itachi, still wanted to blow his little brother's fuse even more and decided to give him one last push, "But if you can't do something as simple as this, then are you going to remain to be a person who only knows how to hurt other people, but knows nothing on how to comfort others?"

A flash of what happened two days ago when he met that mysterious girl again replayed in his mind:

_"Don't speak to me… as if you know everything about me," she spoke in a low voice that revealed all the flooding emotions that she was feeling. It was upset, furious, offended, and sad. "Because by far… you still know nothing about me. Absolutely… nothing." Her voice was shaking with what seemed to be―an admission guilt?—as she spoke those words._

Sasuke mentally shook his head, dismissing those unnecessary thoughts from making him focus on reality.

"You're pathetic," Itachi added smugly with a cocky smirk.

"Itachi!" his mother reprimanded once more, but this time, it was to her older son. They didn't need to start fighting now―not in front of the Harunos. That would be rude! While the Harunos were busy contemplating about the tense situation, her sons could only joke without remorse.

"Shut up!" Sasuke hissed angrily. Whirling around, he cursed under his breath as he stomped towards the door that would lead him to the veranda outside where his fiancée was at the moment.

Only knows how to 'hurt' others? He'll show them. He knew how to comfort others because if he didn't…

_Her eyes were glistening even more with wet tears of anger that were swiftly forming at the base of her eyes._

… Then how was he going to apologize to that girl that he had unconsciously hurt because of his prying curiosity.

When the door closed and Sasuke was out of the room, Itachi thought that it was the perfect time to prove his point. "Now, you see what I mean, Temari-san. My 'dear' little brother can never say my name without cussing or threatening me beforehand," Itachi stated with great amusement staining in his voice.

Temari nodded. "Yeah, he seems to really hate your guts," she said imperturbably.

Itachi smirked, "You have no idea."

Really. How could these two talk about things like that when they were in front of their parents? Maybe, it wasn't only their parents now who had no shame, eh?

* * *

She was staring at the night sky that looked so much like the sky the night before with her arms crossed as she leaned forward on the veranda's marble railing. The soft whistling breeze of the air seemed to soothe her quite well. However, her calm serenity was cut short when she heard the door swing open behind her, alerting her that there was a new presence that invaded her privacy.

Not bothering to look who the person was standing behind her, she spoke speculating that she already knew who it was. "Gaara-niichan, can't you at least give me a little privacy―even just once?"

"I'm not Gaara," a familiarly husky voice replied coldly.

Sakura's eyes widened. She knew whom that voice belonged to. Knowing who it was, she instantly turned around and gave Sasuke a glare, "What are you doing here?" It wasn't a question; it was more like an aggravated statement.

He wasn't good at these things, but if he didn't do it, who knew what his father might do? In any case, he needed to _comfort _his fiancée. Problem was: how? Oh well, might as well go with the flow.

"I was asked to find out what's wrong with you." He was lying. Well, that was only half true, but if he didn't know what was wrong with her, then how was he supposed to comfort her? He did know the gist of it, but he needed to find out from her what was bothering her. Afterall, who would be the best judge of her feelings, but herself.

Damn, he really didn't know what to do in these kinds of situations.

Sakura's green eyes narrowed into a dangerous and warning glare. "Go away," she hissed. Her voice was shaking with anger.

"I can't do that," Sasuke replied coolly.

She clenched her hands into tight fists on the marble railing. "Why the hell do you want to know?" she snarled, getting even more aggravated by just watching his calm composure.

"Because" —how was going to put this?— "I was told to," he said, not really knowing what to say, so he just told the truth.

Wrong answer.

"Fine then…" she muttered in a low whisper. "Since you want to know so bad… I'll tell you," she scoffed in disdain… more to herself.

Sasuke remained silent, and stayed a couple of feet away from her, giving her space.

She turned away from him, and lowered her gaze to the ground, shadowing her eyes behind her light hair. Her hands were shaking every now and then because of the intense feelings welling up inside of her. She didn't want to tell him, nor did she want him to butt into her business, but… she really wanted to tell someone―anyone about it.

Without knowing, she poured out all her feelings that she had tried so hard to imprison inside her to the person she least expected to say them to.

"I couldn't" —she paused as she stiffled a sob— "I couldn't even say it." Her sobbing became more coherent, and Sasuke took notice of the tears streaming down her cheeks. "I thought… it was just like any day. He would always go on a business trip… just like always. I was so busy doing homework that I didn't even tell him, 'Goodbye.' I thought we were going to see each other again, so I thought that maybe I could just talk to him next time. So I…" It was then that her tears cascaded freely down her cheeks.

She didn't notice the footsteps coming closer towards her.

"I really… miss him…. so much, but I couldn't even say 'Goodbye,' even though I usually did so. I only cared about what I was doing… about myself. I didn't even know that it was going to be the last time that I would see him." She took a gasping breath, turned towards Sasuke and gave him a snarl, "Now that I've told you what's wrong with me: are you happy now?"

"Is that… why you feel so guilty?"

Sakura's pained expression faltered when she heard this. She watched him approach her until he was right beside her, his elbows plopped on the marble railing and his gaze on the ground. His expression was really hard to determine. She wasn't sure if it was sympathy that he was feeling, or he was just curious. Nonetheless, she didn't reply for her actions spoke for her. She turned away from him, as a sign that he was right.

"Were you close to him?" Sasuke asked, as he looked at her from the corner of his eye, watching her nod her head. She was still sobbing, but it wasn't as frequent as before. He stayed silent for a couple of seconds until he felt the right moment to speak once more.

"Consider yourself lucky that at least you're close to your father and that he was able to make some time for you," Sasuke spoke, his mind distant at that very moment.

Sakura turned to him with a concern frown. She didn't wipe her tears off her face yet, so right now, she looked like a complete mess, but that wasn't what was in her mind at the moment. With his last statement, she understood. Turning away from him once again, she smiled sadly. _No time, huh?_

It was funny that the richer people were, the unhappier they seemed to be. Uchiha Sasuke, was only one of these people. Sakura couldn't really say that she wasn't one of them because in a way… she was also unhappy.

"If you want to cry, then cry… if it makes you feel better," Sasuke spoke, not losing his calm and cool composure.

Sakura took his suggestion to heart and started sobbing once more. It was the first time in a long while that she had allowed herself to cry in front of someone―much less her fiancée. Imagine, letting the person she had sworn to hate… comfort her, but she couldn't deny that he did have a unique way of comforting someone.

Just then, a finger brushed against her cheek. It trailed upwards until it was just below her tear-filled eye and under the thick lenses that obscured her eyes. With a gentle caress, he wiped the tear that was threatening to fall.

Sakura immediately looked at Sasuke―who was looking at her with the same expression that he had right when he walked through the door―with a watchful and shocked expression. She was trying to search something with the way he looked at her, but she couldn't find it. However, his small gesture couldn't help but make her blush, making her uneasy with the situation that they were in.

"But then, if you keep crying, your face would look more messed up than it already is," Sasuke smirked. He wasn't insulting her, he was being sincere. Well… maybe, he was, but only he would know what his little statement really intended.

As she saw the playful smirk form on Sasuke's lips, Sakura couldn't help but give a small laugh. She knew that she should be offended, but she wasn't. Even when she tried to force herself to be irritated, it didn't come. It would be quite difficult for a stranger to know what she was really feeling at this moment because she was crying and laughing at the same time.

Even she didn't know. Somehow, her heart felt at ease, but still tears wouldn't stop forming from her eyes.

Yeah, he really had a unique way on comforting someone.

Sasuke took a folded blue handkerchief from his pants pocket. He brought it up to her, encouraging her to take it. "You should wipe those tears off your face. You might bump into a pole in that condition, seeing that you already have bad eyesight."

She gently took the blue handkerchief from his still hand. She closed her eyes and took notice of the footsteps that she heard as she dabbed the piece of cloth on her face, wiping her tears, so that she wouldn't look **too** much of a mess.

She opened her eyes and turned around to see Sasuke looking at her. He was just right in front of the door, and he could just go inside.

"You don't need to give that back, you can keep it," he said in the same cool, husky voice that he always used. He closed his hand on the doorknob and was about to turn it, when―

"Wait," Sakura said. She waited for Sasuke to stop before she continued. "Thank you," she whispered softly with a sincere smile tugging at her lips.

"Hn," Sasuke smirked. She didn't see this though, because his back was facing her. Somehow, he couldn't help but have this feeling of déjà vu that he had been in this kind of situation before.

_Her expression softened as they stared at each other. A small smile tugged at her lips as she murmured softly._

"_Thank you."_

No, it couldn't be. She couldn't be…

"But," she said before he could even flinch, "That doesn't mean that I like you now."

Nah, it was impossible. It just couldn't be.

Sasuke opened the door and said nothing; however, before he walked through the door, he turned around and gave her a smirk that she would see, "You're still annoying, too."

Sakura only continued to smile at him. She was actually smiling at his insult―for once. She only took notice of the feeling that she imagined he had when he said that. It was a mystery, and she couldn't help but become curious about it. There she had a feeling of easiness when she saw his smirk―even if it was for mockery.

It didn't take a while before she followed Sasuke inside the manor, but this time, she was smiling like nothing happened. _He'll always be a jerk__,__ though._

* * *

After that, the first 'Uchiha and Haruno dinner' ran even more smoothly. The edgy atmosphere around them had eased a bit, when Haruno Sakura came back with a smile on her face. Odd. It was like she wasn't upset to begin with―like her emotional breakdown didn't even happen. She wasn't mouthing out **any** protest through the course of dinner after that. Sasuke didn't look too annoyed anymore either. In fact, he was calmer and more at ease than when he came in the house.

Maybe, all they needed was some alone time to talk to each other.

It seemed that their plan was **actually** running even better than expected. Maybe, they didn't need to use **those** people anymore.

But, this was Sumire we're talking about. She wouldn't put her brilliant plan aside when she worked really hard on putting it together. No matter what, she would bring her plan into action. That… starts now.

Sumire had already calmed down somewhat and was now back to her old self. She wasn't the type of person who kept moping around and feeling sorry for herself. She had a plan to set into action first. "Well then, now that that we're done with dinner, it's time for―"

"For us to leave," Sasuke interrupted rudely with a sarcastic remark. Hey, you can't keep a guy from hoping.

"For them to leave," Sakura muttered sardonically, giving her mother a nonchalant stare from the corner of her eye.

In fact, the two of them had said this at the same time. Finally, things were going back to normal. The two of them were back to normal… so it seemed.

"No, but I know very well that the two of you will like this very much," Sumire chirped with enthusiastic anticipation. She might be expecting too much, and her expectations might only end up in vain. Well, she wouldn't want that, now, would she?

Sasuke frowned cautiously.

Sakura narrowed her eyes into a questioning glare.

They were both thinking the same thing.

_What is she planning?_

Mikoto had to blink a few times to understand the situation. It was after a couple of confused seconds that she, now, had her own smile on her lips. "You two will be so thrilled when you find out what we have in store for you."

Her smile… was it more in the innocent side or the devious one. No, it was definitely one of those devious smiles.

Now, Sasuke and Sakura became even more suspicious. Thrilled… of what they had in store for them? Not really. They were more in the lines of being oddly nervous. Those words had a different effect on them.

_They're definitely planning something _**bad**_._ They just knew it! They didn't like this feeling. Their parents were sending these vibes that were saying in big, bold letters: '**We want to see you suffer for our own pleasure! You are our children―make us laugh.**'

But that would be going too far now, would it?

Sakura crunched her face into an observing frown.

Sasuke twisted his face into a frowning glare.

Just by analyzing their parents… nah―that was what they were definitely saying.

And they didn't like it. Not at all.

"To deepen the relationship between our families, we arranged counseling for the two of you," Sumire smiled secretively, but Sakura and Sasuke didn't pay any attention towards that―whether she was hiding something from them or not―that wasn't their main concern. All that registered in their minds was the word 'counseling'.

"WHAT!" Sakura exclaimed in a shrill voice; her mouth hanging open in shock as she slammed her hands on the dining table loudly and curtly. "This is an outrage! What do you mean by―counselling? We don't need―counseling!" She bit her lip, trying to suppress the growl that was coming from her mouth that would prove very rude in front of everyone. She was trying to restrain herself from growling. She might grit her teeth so hard that she might shatter them to pieces, but that would be going overboard.

Sasuke continued to frown, but refused to say anything. He didn't like the idea either. He didn't need to say anything though, since Sakura was already fine complaining by herself.

"What is this?" she hissed with an aggravated glare. "Why makes you think we would need something so silly that it **won't** even work?" she sneered.

"'Won't even work?' Dear, dear, _dear_ Sakura, that just gives me further confirmation that there is definitely something wrong with your relationship with your dear fiancée, Sasuke-kun," Sumire stated with a cunning smile.

Sakura scoffed, "Haven't you understood the facts of where exactly our relationship stands? It's very simple," she smiled bitterly. "**I** can't stand him, and **he** can't stand me. That's how simple it is." Her smile vanished and was immediately replaced with a confident glare.

Sasuke said nothing about the matter; however, his face showed no other signs of emotions. His stony expression remained a barrier to his real feelings.

"That's why we arranged a marriage counselling in the first place," Sumire replied confidently. She remained unfazed by her daughter's convincing and true words.

_Marriage counseling?_ Sasuke thought cautiously.

"What the―! We're not even married yet! Why would we need something as crazy as that?" Sakura was losing it. Now, it was her mother that was giving her migranes. "This is nuts," she sighed and slumped further down the chair she was sitting on.

Suddenly, she felt something step on her foot from underneath the table, coaxing her to focus her attention towards the person in front of her. She looked up and saw Sasuke's cool and mysterious dark eyes staring at her silently. She blinked, embarrassed with the fact that he was staring at her so intently. It was then that she saw him nod his head slightly.

What? He couldn't mean that, but his simple actions and intent stare told her otherwise―but still! She didn't like it. Her mother always had twists in her plans that always made things even more complex. She knew that this one would definitely be one of those plans.

Reluctantly complying with Sasuke's silent request―even though she didn't know why she was actually agreeing with him in the first place―she sighed in defeat and grumbled, "Fine, but I doubt it'll work."

Sumire fought the urge to chuckle for she might blow her cover. "You shouldn't talk like that, dear Sakura, your might regret those words later."

Itachi smirked,_ The fun begins right about… now._

"Since it's your counseling, we're going to leave you alone in peace with your **counselors**, so that you'll be more confident." Mikoto smiled gleefully. Funny how fast her mind changes, since she had been hesitant about all of this before. Now, she's oddly excited about it. Ah, mothers can really be a pain.

"But we should introduce you to them first. I think you've already been acquainted with them, Sakura dear," Sumire stated knowingly. She couldn't help but notice the frown that her daughter was giving her. Oh, she couldn't wait to see the look on her face. The anticipation was killing her.

"You can come in now, you two," Sumire said as the door behind her opened to reveal two familiar faces that made Sakura's mouth drop open in shock.

Sakura was surprised. Damn, she was more than surprised―she was shocked. Why were the two of them here―again? Most importanly… why did it have to be them?

Sumire was already contented with seeing the annoyed and shocked expression that was on her daughter's face, which was quite a rare occasion. Oh, how she missed them. It was fun seeing her like that anyways. It was like she was her innocent and small child once again. Sakura still was, but she was trying very hard to get passed that.

"Well then, let's leave these two love birds alone." Mikoto took the lead and stood up first, encouraging the others to do the same. If she didn't, no one would move and they would get nowhere.

"I trust that you two can take care of things," Sumire said, standing up also and following the others that had already walked out of the door in which the two came in by.

The two girls nodded, "Oh, don't worry! Leave it to us!"

When everyone had already left, Sakura decided that it was best to ask the question that she was pondering in her mind right now. "You two again?" Sakura asked, her tone hinting a trace of mockery that was directed towards the two counselors that were in the room with her besides Sasuke.

Peitsuru scoffed, "What's that supposed to mean?" She brought a hand to her hip for an added effect.

"I can't believe you two… can be counselors?" Sakura asked in sardonic disbelief, crossing her arms with a firm look. "Why? Can't mother afford someone else for a change?" She was getting sick of seeing them, and it was only their third meeting.

"That's because we're the best―that's why!" Peitsuru chirped cockily.

"We're expensive too," Ruru nodded haughtily.

"Cocky witch," Sakura rolled her eyes as she muttered this under her breath.

"Can we just get this over with?" Sasuke muttered impatiently. He just _really_ wanted to get it over with. It wasn't like anything was going to change. How could these two even get him and Sakura to actually 'like' each other or even feel infatuated towards the other? He knew very well that you can't force other people to like someone so easily.

This would definitely just end up in vain. He knew that much for certain.

"Before that," Sakura cast a suspicious glare towards the Kitsuneko sisters. "What is it again… that you specialize in?"

"Sexual counseling," Peitsuru replied confidently with a smile―too confidently. Not good.

"WHAT! SEXUAL COUNSELING!" Sakura exclaimed. Her head was starting to spin, making her feel queasy.

"What the hell," Sasuke muttered under his breath.

"Are you two ready?" Ruru asked with a smile.

Those words―really gave them the shivers. It seemed like it had some hidden meaning… something not worth mentioning.

"I'm out of here," Sasuke stood up and started walking out. He wasn't going to stand by this though. 'Sexual counseling―they've got to be kidding!' There was no way―he was going to agree to that!

"I'm right behind you," Sakura agreed, standing up and trailing behind. She wanted to get away from **them**. She didn't feel good already with their unwanted presence. She knew quite well that getting away from them was the best solution.

Before Sasuke reached the door, however, Ruru's voice stopped them. Sakura stopped just right behind Sasuke when Ruru spoke:

"You should know that if you leave now, you will be forced to do something more… erotic. Try to escape and we will make sure you'll really be together―in bed." Ruru's eyes glinted with maliciousness and a goodly dose of triumph.

Peitsuru clapped happily at her older sister's bluntness. She really admired her for it―even though it was kinda… slightly perverted at times.

Both Sasuke and Sakura cringed. They both blushed at hearing those words. 'Together in bed'? They flushed even redder, embarrassed by the perverted imaginations that went to their heads. Great.

"Like you could force us into something like as that," Sasuke countered with a cold stare.

"I could," Ruru replied calmly. "I could even have it videotaped for future generations and also give it as a present to your parents. What do you say?" She smiled smugly.

Sasuke grunted and rolled his eyes. Suddenly, Sakura―who was standing right in front of him―started to collapse. He noticed that she was losing consciousness. Her body slumped backwards and fell, but before she even hit the ground, his body unconsciously moved on its own. He encircled his arms around her shoulder and waist; a small yet thoughtful gesture that Sasuke did without even knowing why.

He kneeled to the ground, giving him more leverage in supporting his fiancée's unconscious frame, not wanting to drop her. Great. She just had to go and faint on him. She needed to wake up soon, 'cause… he couldn't handle this situation alone. Well, even if she did regain consciousness sooner or later, it didn't change the fact that they had no choice but to do what these **counselors** told them to do.

They had no choice from the very start… did they? This was getting even better. Great―just great! Sexual counseling? The thought of it just made Sasuke want to hurl. But before that, he would wait for Sakura to regain consciousness first.

* * *

In another room, where the rest of the Uchihas and Harunos were located, everyone's eyes were glued on a 50-inch plasma screen. What were they watching? Simple. They were watching the oblivious couple in the dining room with their 'counsellors'. Well, what they're doing could be classified more as… spying, since there were hidden cameras in the dining room, so that they could watch everything that was happening in the room as it unfolded.

Kankuro whistled when he heard the truth. It was his way of teasing his mother that she was going to get into trouble… soon.

"Sumire, what was that we heard about 'sexual counseling'?" Fugaku asked impatiently, drumming his fingers on the couch he was sitting on.

"You said that it was marriage counseling?" Mikoto frowned questioningly.

Sumire laughed mischievously, "Oh, did I say that. Silly me. I must have forgotten." She was in trouble now.

That meant… all her plans would be for nothing.

Itachi decided to make an excuse that his parents would be sure to believe. "But if you look at it more clearly, marriage counseling is almost the same as sexual counseling, since there is also sexual intercourse in marriage." Damn, why wasn't he embarrassed saying that? Could it be because he was just as dense as a rock, or he just didn't care?

Mikoto blushed, hearing her son mutter those erotic words. He was 21. He was old enough for this, but she couldn't help but feel embarrassed on how calm he was when he said it. She didn't want to wonder about what Itachi ever did with his free time. It would be too much to bear.

"But I must say―they're good," Itachi smirked, amused with the incredible skills and unpredictable tactics the two girls possessed. They were right. They really were professionals. "Mother, I think I know what career I want to have in the future."

Mikoto shook her head in shock. "You want to do their job!"

Itachi tsked, "What pain they inflict―"

"What?" Mikoto asked quickly. She couldn't help but want confirmation on what she just heard. Maybe, she was just hearing things.

"I mean―what pain they elevate," Itachi said quickly, trying to cover his last sentence.

Now, Mikoto was sure what her son had said―and it didn't make her happy. She was looking at Itachi with a disgusted look on her face. "Why?" she paused, engrossed at the moment. "Why am I blessed with two sons?" She sighed in dissatisfaction. "Why couldn't I have had daughters instead? They are **so** much easier to raise."

She, then, saw an image of her youngest son's fiancée, Haruno Sakura, screaming at her son. She was quite fond of the girl for speaking her mind and being herself. She should be mad or annoyed with the girl for cursing at her youngest son, but oddly, Sakura's short temper was actually one of the interesting things about her. She really liked the girl―specifically Sakura―even if she was screaming curses of vulgarity—it was part of her charm. Well, it was better than men.

Yes, a daughter would've been nice.

Whose fault was it that she had sons? Hm, who was it? Well, let's have Mikoto decide that.

"It's all your fault," Mikoto sniffed after a couple of sobs, turning towards her husband, Uchiha Fugaku.

"What?" Fugaku shook his head, not understanding why he was suddenly brought into their conversation.

_

* * *

Someone save me_, Sakura pleaded mentally with a groan. Yes, she had regained consciousness, but in her opinion, she would rather become unconscious again than be tortured like this.

What those two were doing―or rather―making them do was **torture**!

"Now, to start things off, I need to know: how far along is your relationship?" Ruru asked calmly with a smile on her face.

Sakura really fought the urge to wipe that smug look on her face. It was just calling to her: 'Beat me up―why don't you! I definitely need a good beating!' Even though she really wanted to just beat the two of them up so that she wouldn't have to deal with this **insanity**, she had this feeling that… she shouldn't. This really confused her.

_Please―just let me faint. Just let me faint―one more time._ She prayed in her mind. She knew that it wasn't going to work though, but it couldn't hurt her to try.

Sasuke raised a skeptical brow. What kind of question was that? They couldn't possibly be serious about that? How far their relationship was? Well, that was one question that they both had the same answer to. "You've got to be kidding me," Sasuke grunted, rolling his eyes.

"Answer the question if you don't want us to make you **do **things that you prefer **not** knowing," Peitsuru threatened with a wicked smile. Oh, she was really doing a good job―a very good job indeed.

Sakura gave a sardonic look before deciding to answer that **annoying** question that everyone seemed to ask her. "I don't like him," she said honestly, even if it was such a blunt statement.

"I don't like her," Sasuke said soon after.

Feeling that a challenge coming from her **dearest** fiancée, Sakura thought of another negative comment to say: "He's irritating."

"She's annoying," Sasuke said flatly. Was he really just trying to piss her off, or was he just saying his honest opinion? Maybe it was both.

"I can't stand him." Sakura stood up from her seat and slammed her hands on the table to emphasize her aggressiveness, glaring daggers at her fiancée, who was sitting just across from her. Their seats were positioned facing each other, thus, forcing them to not only look across the table from each other, but to 'look into each other's eyes'—gag! "He's a bastard and an egotistical jerk that only thinks about himself and no one else. I just can't **stand** him!" she exclaimed with a shrill of irritation mixed with anger. It didn't occur to her that she was ranting now, and that the person that she was talking about was right in front of her, looking at her nonchalantly, which just made her even more mad.

Sasuke stared at Sakura's infuriated figure apathetically. His crossed arms just added to his cool composure. "Thanks. It was nice to hear your… honest opinion of me." He didn't sound grateful though.

They were back to square one again. It seemed like Sasuke's efforts in comforting Sakura had been all in vain. Nothing seemed to change. It was all the same. Maybe… but not quite.

Sakura was just furious at how easily he could pretend that nothing ever happened. When they came back, he was back to his old self. It was like he didn't even comfort her in the first place. It annoyed her greatly that he was treating her like he used to. It was like he hated her or something.

"Please sit down Sakura-san," Ruru asked in a kind manner.

Sakura sat down with a gruff, not bothering to argue. She'd deal with him later. That is, if she ever got a chance to.

"Well, it seems like we have to start from the basics then," Peitsuru brought her index finger under her chin, completing her thoughful expression.

"That seems so," Ruru nodded.

Peitsuru smirked at this. Oh, this was going to be fun. Forced relationships were really her thing! Oh, this was going to be great!

_Leave me alone,_ Sasuke and Sakura whined in their thoughts as they saw that smirk. It had a hidden meaning within it, and they couldn't help but groan at this. Again and again, this always kept happening to them. Why, oh, why?

"First, you two should be sure that you're comfortably seated," Ruru instructed calmly, just like how a professional counsellor would do.

"I'm fine," Sakura replied impatiently.

"Hn," Sasuke sounded, irritated.

"Now, Sakura-san, please stretch your hand towards the middle of the table and place it there," Ruru said, keeping the same calm tone as before. She was really used to this.

Sakura gave her a frown, but did what she was told anyway. She stretched her hand forwards and placed it in the middle of the table. She realized that her hand was quite close to Sasuke's reach. Whatever, she just wanted to get this over and done with.

"Sasuke-san, please place your hand on top of Sakura-san's," Ruru's slow paced intructions continued.

"What?" Sasuke asked with a frown, not liking the idea.

Ruru grimaced in a state of mockery. "If you can't do a simple gesture such as that, then maybe―"

"Just do what she says―damn it!" Peitsuru snapped. She didn't like it when they were being interrupted with their sessions.

Sasuke gave a snarl before placing his hand reluctantly on top of Sakura's own.

The warm feeling of his hand on top of hers made her flush and feel a foreign feeling at the pit of her stomach. This happened as soon as she felt his gentle hand touch hers. Why was he having this affect on her? Her negative expressions vanished, and it was replaced with embarrassment and nervousness. She tried her best to calm herself down, but she only became even tenser.

"Now, Sakura-san, place your other hand on top of Sasuke-san's," Ruru continued with her instructions. This time, something was different though. She was ignored. She waited for a couple more seconds, expecting a movement from the said girl, but she remained in the same position.

Sasuke looked at Sakura sitting in front of him with watchful eyes. His impassive expression momentarily faded when he saw something that he had to observe more carefully. Was it just him or was his fiancée…? He couldn't help but smirk at Sakura's innocent expression. She might be a school geek, but he couldn't help but think that she looked really cute like that.

Ruru noticed that Sakura had this spacey expression and—what's this? Was that a small red tint in her cheeks? Oh, the girl was blushing. Sexual counseling always works―and it never fails to bring two people together! So far, everything was going smoothly, maybe, even better than expected.

Time to take it up a notch, Ruru thought with a sneaky smile. She nodded towards her little sister's direction. Peitsuru immediately knew what her older sister meant without her even saying it. Oh, the fun was going to get even better.

"Sasuke-san, I'm not going to tell you what you should do, but touch Sakura-san intimately and passionately―without being perverted!" This time, it was Peitsuru's turn to say the instructions. Here was the not-so-gentle stage, and she specializes in this stage the most, which made her quite excited.

Sasuke narrowed his eyes. If he were to do this, this would take forever, and he wouldn't be able to go home. They wouldn't leave him alone anyway if he didn't finish this soon. Question was: how?

He looked at Sakura, who was able to overcome the anxiety within her even for the moment to look up and stare at him with those innocent green eyes. He couldn't help but remember the time when he almost kissed her in the hall. That time, she was also looking at him with those eyes.

Oh, might as well. At least this time, he had a more rational reason of doing **this**. Then maybe, they would finally leave them alone―him alone. If he could only be left alone by giving them what they wanted, then that's what he'd do.

He brought his free hand to the nape of Sakura's neck, making her frown at him in confusion. He squeezed Sakura's hand that was under his other hand. This alerted her, and she became more baffled to what he was doing. However, before she could react, he drew her neck forward towards him. Tilting his face to the side and closing his eyes, he brought his lips to her rosy ones and kissed her as gently as he could.

Well, this was something that didn't happen quite often.

Not only were the Kitsuneko sisters gawking in shock, but also the Uchiha and Haruno family in the separate room, where they were able to watch every detail that happened.

**_TBC_**

**

* * *

A/N: **:Cackles: My first cliffhanger for this fic. Wait. Is this the second? Meh, no matter. Damn, I'm really not good with romance. I don't know… writing that simple kiss really made me uneasy. Yes, that was the first kissing scene that I've ever written. Cut me some slack, will ya! There rest of the kissing scene will be in the next chapter… maybe.

**

* * *

Chapter 15―Marriage Counseling**

"Locking them in a room all by themselves: are you out of your mind?" Mikoto exclaimed, her mouth agape.

"What's wrong with that?" Sumire asked innocently.

Mikoto shook her head in disbelief. However, before she could speak her mind, Itachi beat her to it:

"Mother, why do you need to worry? They're engaged anyway. This will happen to them sooner or later, so I don't think there's anything wrong with that," Itachi commented cleverly.

"But they're not of legal age yet. They're still 16," Temari protested, bringing herself into the conversation. She was worried about her sister.

Mikoto sighed in relief. At last, there was someone who saw things her way.

Itachi eyed Temari's worried expression and smiled slyly. "A thousand bucks that they'll do it tonight."

Temari blinked in shock for a while before grinning. "Two thousand―that they'll do it within the next two hours." She couldn't back down from a bet when money was at stake.

"They're both prudes anyway," Kankuro scoffed, standing up from the ground―where he was sitting comfortably before, watching the entire incident in their Plasma TV―and approaching the two of them. "Five thousand that they won't do it."

"Ten thousand," Gaara chipped in.

"Gaara, you want to be in this too?" Temari blinked in shock. Usually, Gaara wouldn't care about these things.

"Ten thousand," Gaara repeated. "That they wouldn't dare do it because I'll kill them if they do," he threatened with a narrowed gaze. He seemed serious. Heck, he might really **be **serious.

**

* * *

Updated:** January 18, 2007

**

* * *

EDIT:** I condensed the _some_ of the sentences after coming to a conclusion that they were unnecessary. The redundant verbs have been changed as well to ease the reader's vision. I apologize for pouring acid on those delicate tissues.


	15. Marriage Counseling

**Engagement On Hold**

**Summary:** (AU) Uchiha Sasuke is Konoha High's reigning prince. Haruno Sakura is…? Who is she again? What happens when the guy everybody knows finds himself engaged to the girl nobody knows?

**Genre: **Romance/Humor/Drama

**Pairings:** Sasuke/Sakura, Naruto/Hinata, Itachi/Sakura (What's wrong with me? I don't really know.)

**Author: **pei-chan

**Beta-reader:** Ruru Kitsuneko

**Chapter length (notes and sneak peaks excluded): **20 pages; 10, 433 words

**Disclaimer:** Wouldn't it be nice if Sasuke and Sakura were really engaged in the Naruto series? Then again, that would only occur in our dreams… ne?

**A/N: **Ahh!! I can't write kissing scenes! Damn.

**

* * *

Chapter 15―Marriage Counseling**

Oh my, no one expected this to happen.

Here were two of their children, kissing each other **so **willingly. Actually it was Sasuke who brought the two of them into this position, but that wasn't the case. The fact was that they **were** seen together in a liplock. Sasuke and Sakura's personal feelings about this issue didn't matter because their actions would be the ones that their folks would be focusing on.

And God knows that their parents wouldn't have an issue about this matter. Maybe they were more on the delighted side than the furious side. They might actually be glad about this… incident. Maybe… even **too** much.

* * *

Temari couldn't help but gape in shock when she saw everything that Sasuke had done. She couldn't believe it. Sasuke just did all of that… so―unexpected. She thought that the Uchiha thought of her little sister as someone annoying… then… why did he…?

Kankuro could only whistle coolly when he saw Sasuke's rash and bold actions. _At last, something that had finally swept Sakura off her feet_, and he meant that **literally**.

Sumire couldn't help but let out a stiffled squeak. The feeling of happiness swept over her entire being that right after giving out a squeak she collapsed on the floor and fainted.

THUD!

Temari gasped, rushing towards her mother's side in shock. "Mother, are you okay?!" She shook her mother's limp figure, checking if her mother might respond. She had to know if Sumire really fainted. Alas, she did.

Having a rush of intense emotions to your brain could really be bad.

At least, Mikoto took the matter more calmly than her unconscious friend. "Oh my," she gasped slightly and blinked innocently. With her eyes glued on the screen, she clasped her hands together as her eyes glinted with intense happiness. "Sasuke is finally becoming a man. Aren't you glad, Fugaku-kun?" Mikoto had to restrain herself from squealing in delight if she wanted her husband to understand what she was saying.

Fugaku nodded with a slight smile. Even he was glad that his son has finally come to his senses.

Itachi, however, felt even more amused by the situation. With a smirk evident on his lips, he thought, _Well, well, well, would you look at that. You're making things even better than I thought, little brother._

When Kankuro heard a low and devious chuckle, he couldn't help but flinch. Knowing who it was coming from, Kankuro slowly turned his gaze to the side to face his little brother. His head was lowered, and his bangs were obscuring his eyes. Kankuro took notice of the malicious smirk that Gaara had, and mentally cringed at the negative aura that his little brother was emitting. _Gaara's scaring me._

* * *

Sakura's eyes widened and a muffled gasp sounded in her closed lips. What was he doing? No, she knew exactly what he was doing. She was just too shocked to move. Her hand was holding the edge of the table, slightly shaking. Her stomach was leaning on the table's edge because her fiancée had just pulled her up and out of her seat, and kissed her without her consent.

Sakura's eyes slowly closed shut when she felt his moist lips slightly part only to feel his wet tongue brush against her lower lip. Feeling the intensity of the kiss―his kiss, she couldn't help but moan and shudder involuntarily. She brought her free hand towards his chest and clutched his shirt tightly and crumpled them within her fingertips.

Damn, he was a good kisser.

However, that was how far he went when his lips suddenly left hers at the feel of her hand on his chest. Feeling the absence of his lips on hers, Sakura opened her eyes and looked up until their eyes were locked in each other's gaze. She didn't feel his hand retreat, but it remained firm on the nape of her neck. Heat rushed up to her cheeks. She couldn't help but blush at what happened earlier, and his calm expression wasn't helping the situation either. It only made her feel even more nervous than she already was.

She lowered her gaze, breaking their eye contact, Sakura cursed herself for having Sasuke affect her like this. It was just a simple kiss, and he had rendered her speechless. Oh great. She shouldn't feel embarassed now and let him know how much his actions affected her.

When his hand had left the nape of her neck, she decided to sit back down. Sitting back down on her seat, she looked up only to have Sasuke still looking at her. She noticed that he also sat back down on his own seat. She continued to stare at him as calmly as possible, trying to fight the heat that was coming up to her cheeks once more. However, all her nervousness dissipated when her fiancée smirked at her cockily, enjoying her reaction.

This left her mouth agape, with fury rushing back and replacing all the uneasiness that she felt earlier. How dare he! She was going to make him pay for that―dearly.

Ruru, who was finally able to adjust to the situation and calmed down somewhat faked a cough to get everyone's attention. "Well now, let's continue."'

"I never imagined that you two would be so eager," Peitsuru sighed in an amused manner. _Maybe, we should take it up another notch and see how far they could go,_ she restrained the urge to snort, wanting to laugh maliciously. She really like seeing people suffer. It was a pleasant sight to see.

Ruru pointed her index finger towards Sakura's direction. "Now, it's your turn, Sakura-san. Touch Sasuke-san intimately and passionately" ―Sakura wanted to hurl when she heard the words 'intimately' and 'passionately'― "anywhere you want," Ruru finished with a smile.

Well that changes everything.

Sakura couldn't help but blink at what she just heard, trying to register the last of Ruru's sentence. A sly smile then replaced her confused expression. She saw Sasuke's eyes narrow when he saw the evil glint in her eyes, and she was damn happy to see him annoyed too! Her smile widened into a smug looking smirk, and made Sasuke even more cautious than before.

_Damn these counselors,_ Sasuke growled inwardly.

_Anywhere I want, huh?_ Sakura chuckled mentally, delighted with the idea. _Hn, this should be good._ Oh, it was payback time. She would teach him not to mess with her. Revenge was sweet!

Faking an innocent and happy expression, she raised her hand towards Sasuke's face. Sasuke, seeing the evil intent behind her actions, wanted to jerk back, but that would make him look like a coward, now would it. Wanting to maintain his perfect image, he remained still, still having doubts about his decision. He was still having second thoughts about what his fiancée might do.

When Sakura's hand was right beside Sasuke's cheek, she slapped her hand on Sasuke's cheek slightly with as much force within the small gap between her hand and his cheek she could muster. Her slap wasn't that strong to tilt Sasuke's head sideways, but it sure did hurt him even a slightest bit—a lot, if he was really honest.

Even if the pain wasn't immense—much, she was happy at seeing Sasuke's face cringe when her hand reached his cheek. His pain was her pleasure. Okay… that didn't come out right.

Sakura gave Sasuke a fake smile, while Sasuke's lip merely twitched in response. Her hand was still on his cheek, and he could still feel the stinging pain that her hand created on his cheek when it made contact.

This girl was really something.

* * *

Taking her eyes off the screen, Sumire turned towards the Uchihas with a smile on her lips. For someone who just fainted, she sure recovered fast. She wasn't even unconscious for more than three minutes. Her brain must really be focused on seeing her youngest daughter with the Uchihas' youngest son, Uchiha Sasuke. She was really **that** desperate. "Would you guys like to sleep over? It's very late and I know you're exhausted enough as it is."

The Harunos really had a fast recovery rate.

"But don't you need to leave for a business trip tomorrow morning? We'll only be in your way and we'd only disturb you," Mikoto responded slightly concerned. She didn't want their family to be too reliant on the Harunos if they would only be in the way.

"It's fine, really. Afterall, our families will be merged in the near future anyway. It's only natural that we have to help each other, now don't we?" Sumire said sincerely, but with a secretive smile on her face. "Besides, we can use this as a way to deepen our children's relationship even further."

"And what way would that be?" Fugaku asked with a keen eye.

Sumire's smile broadened. "How about making them sleep in the same room… together with one bed for the night?"

Real sneaky and she had a sly mind to go with it.

* * *

"Are we done now?" Sakura asked nonchalantly, her chin resting on her palm and her elbow on top of the table.

"Not yet, now that you're done phase one, we now move on to phase two," Ruru informed them calmly.

Peitsuru mentally snickered. Ah yes, this was all a part of their plan with Sumire. _That cunning woman never ceases to amuse me._

"Second phase?" Sasuke frowned.

"You mean we're not done," Sakura exclaimed, snapping out of her nonchalant daze. It was late, and she really wanted to sleep.

"Please just follow us, and we'll take you to where the second phase will be located," Ruru said politely and walked towards the door leading to the hall.

Peitsuru merely kept silent and followed her older sister impassively.

Sasuke and Sakura didn't like the idea, but they knew they didn't have a choice on the matter. Hesitantly, they stood up from their seats and followed the two counsellors as reluctant as they were out of the dining room and towards the main hall, not knowing where they were going.

What the hell? Didn't they realize that it was midnight already? They still had school tomorrow and they needed to wake up early, yet these two counselors still insisted on a **phase two** of their counselling.

_What the hell are they thinking?_ Sasuke thought cautiously.

_What are you planning _**now,**_ mother?_ Sakura thought suspiciously.

The Kitsunekos stopped when they were in front of a simple blue door. "Come inside and we'll have the next phase in here," Ruru stated as calmly as possible to soothe the couple behind them from any arising suspicion that they might be emitting.

Sakura's eyes narrowed in confusion, "But this is my room."

"Which is why this place would be best," Peitsuru chirped in, speaking for the first time after they left the dining room. She had an innocent smile on her face that wouldn't be doubted.

Sasuke and Sakura sure were suspicious even though Peitsuru had thought of a reasonable excuse. They still weren't contented.

_I don't get it,_ Sasuke grumbled under his breath.

Sakura was nervous though, _Why in my room?_

Knowing that the two wouldn't move an inch, Ruru decided to take action. "I could call your parents and say how disobedient you two have been. That way, we could go to" —the calmness of her voice vanished, leaving a devious intent— "the final phase." She was smiling schemingly, feeling no mercy at how she was torturing the couple. As long as they suffered, she was contented.

Sasuke and Sakura cringed. Somehow, they had a feeling that they knew what the final phase was.

Sakura, trying to convince herself that it wasn't that bad, decided to ask what the final phase was. It was just to make sure. Hell, she shouldn't have… "What's the final phase?"

Ruru's smile broadened and turned into a smirk. "It's something that might be both painful… and pleasurable at the same time."

Sakura wanted to hurl. She really shouldn't have asked.

Sasuke had a disgusted look on his face. They really were pushing it.

Peitsuru was snickering in delight in the background, cheering mentally at her sister's conniving skills.

"Fine then," Sakura snarled with a grunt.

She opened the door with Sasuke right behind her. She noticed how dark the room was. She entered the room and groped the wall inside the room, searching for the light switch. Light illuminated the room, making Sakura blink in confusion. She turned around and saw Sasuke beside her, with his hand still on the light switch. He was the one that turned on the lights.

Right after that though, the door slammed closed, alerting the two of them. What was that?

Rushing towards the door, Sakura's fingers closed on the doorknob and tried to turn the knob, but it wouldn't budge. She tried to shake the doorknob, seeing if maybe that would actually open the door but to no avail. It still wouldn't budge.

With a low cry, Sakura became even tenser by the minute. "Oh no," she muttered.

"What?" Sasuke asked with his arms crossed right behind her, while eyeing her impassively. He's still trying to remain as calm as much as possible.

Sakura didn't want to face him, so she just said without turning around, but continuing to eye the doorknob within her grasp with a tense look on her face.

"We're locked in."

* * *

"Locking them in a room all by themselves: are you out of your mind?!" Mikoto exclaimed, her mouth agape.

"What's wrong with that?" Sumire asked innocently.

Mikoto shook her head in disbelief. However, before she could speak her mind, Itachi beat her to it:

"Mother, why do you need to worry? They're engaged anyway. This will happen to them sooner or later, so I don't think there's anything wrong with that," Itachi commented cleverly.

"But they're not of legal age yet. They're still 16," Temari protested, bringing herself into the conversation. She was worried about her sister.

Mikoto sighed in relief. At last, there was someone who saw things her way.

Itachi eyed Temari's worried expression and smiled slyly. "A thousand bucks that they'll do it tonight."

Temari blinked in shock for a while before grinning. "Two thousand―that they'll do it within the next two hours." She couldn't back down from a bet when money was at stake.

"They're both prudes anyway," Kankuro scoffed, standing up from the ground―where he was sitting comfortably before, watching the entire incident in their Plasma TV―and approaching the two of them. "Five thousand that they won't do it."

"Ten thousand," Gaara chipped in.

"Gaara, you want to be in this too?" Temari blinked in shock. Usually, Gaara wouldn't care about these things.

"Ten thousand," Gaara repeated. "That they wouldn't dare do it because I'll kill them if they do," he threatened with a narrowed gaze. He seemed serious. Heck, he might really **be **serious.

Temari and Kankuro sweatdropped. Leave it to their brother to make such wonderful and not to mention threatening statements. He was the same as always.

Children really held little value on money.

Mikoto shook her head once again. She couldn't believe this. Their children were dealing with the situation like it was some kind of game. Couldn't they realize how serious this was?

It was then that a hand landed gently on her shoulder, making her look towards her husband. "Don't worry. Sasuke's old enough. He's mature enough to know what to do," Fugaku reassured her in a whisper.

Mikoto sighed, gave a small smile and whispered back so only the two of them could understand their conversation. "I hope so, too."

"Well then, let's all go to our rooms now. Shall we?" Sumire clasped her hands, glad that the matter had been resolved and things had gone her way. She was really **that** desperate.

* * *

"Onee-chan, you're so good." Peitsuru clapped enthusiastically. "They actually fell for it."

"I know, I'm great aren't I," Ruru bragged proudly.

"Maybe right now―they're praising us on how good we are and how skilled we are," Peitsuru continued bragging with a wide smile.

However, that wasn't what the people from the opposite side of the door they were standing right beside at were saying at all—nope, not at all.

"DAMN IT!! LET US OUT RIGHT NOW! I'LL KILL YOU IF YOU DON'T OPEN THIS DOOR!!" Sakura screamed from the other side of the door, banging it loudly.

"Oh my," Ruru said, not entirely amused, but rather confused.

"But you're supposed to stay in there until the next morning," Peitsuru teased with a smirk. It wasn't like the couple at the opposite side of the door would see her smirking anyway.

"DAMN YOU!" Sakura growled from the other side of the door, "THE NEXT TIME I SEE YOU I'LL DRAG YOU FOR A WHOLE KILOMETER UNTIL YOU **GAG**!!" She made the threat with every intention of fulfilling it―and heck she would!

"Oh my, should I be scared now," Peitsuru teased with an innocent tone.

"I'm going to strangle you," Sakura threatened in a more low and dangerous voice.

"Bye now," Peitsuru waved her hand in the air, even though she knew that no one would see her waving anyhow. It was just for fun.

The two walked away leaving the couple all alone in Sakura's room. Their job was done, and it was time for them to get home. It would be a new day tomorrow, which means more money to earn.

Those two siblings were really greedy… and evil.

* * *

Banging the door one more time, she kept her fist connected to the door while she banged her own head on it with a sigh. _Why me?_ she whined in her thoughts. _My life sucks._

"Are you going to keep cuddling on the door like that all night?" Sasuke asked casually, his arms crossed as he stood right behind Sakura.

Sakura immediately whirled around and glared at Sasuke as she heard his insult. "Shut up! This is all your fault!"

"My fault? How is any of this my fault?" he asked, coolly tilting his head to the side.

"If you hadn't kissed me, then this wouldn't have happened!" Sakura yelled.

"Really?" Sasuke raised a firm brow. "As I recall, it was you who slapped me."

"So what? You deserved it!"

"I only kissed you so that we could finally get out of that pathetic situation. If I didn't let them see what they wanted to see, then we would've been asked to do many more stupid things," Sasuke countered, giving his real reasons―even if they did offend his fiancée. It wasn't like he knew he was offending her. He was just speaking his mind, that's all.

Sakura's heart crunched when she heard this. That kiss… meant nothing. It was for his own selfish reasons that he kissed her. He didn't bother thinking about or considering her feelings. He was only thinking about himself. Her feelings didn't matter. It didn't even cross his mind even for a second. He simply… didn't care.

Not being able to bear looking at him any longer, she averted her gaze to the side. In a low whisper, she murmured painfully, "You hate me… don't you. You hate me… that much."

Even though she didn't want him to hear what she said, Sasuke was still able to catch every word that she was saying. What? What did she just say? "Hey―wait a―!"

"Forget it." Sakura brushed him intentionally and strode over to her bed. She didn't want to deal with him right now. It would be better if they didn't have a conversation about that at all. They would just get on each other's nerves even more.

Now she knew. He really **did** hate her. She understood now. He didn't need to say anything else.

"You're weird," Sasuke commented curtly, not really knowing what to do in these kinds of situations. He did what he did best, and that was to speak his mind, even if the things in his mind were somehow rude.

Sakura whirled around once more and gave a disgusted sneer towards her curt fiancée. "Excuse me!"

"You heard me," Sasuke replied briskly.

"So I've been told," Sakura replied fiercely, her glare not faltering.

Sasuke chuckled dryly, "You know. That's good to hear."

"Go outside and jump out of the balcony," Sakura snapped, getting fed up with their conversation that was apparently going nowhere.

Sasuke crossed his arms and scoffed with a smirk, "You despise me that much, huh?"

Sakura was unfazed by the comment. "It's your own fault." She turned around and continued to walk towards her king-sized bed. She was that rich. She sat down on the edge of her comfy and soft bed and glared at her fiancée. "You're the one who's making people hate you."

"So, you do hate me then," Sasuke pointed out, lifting an inquisitive brow. It didn't seem to bother him.

"There are times when I can't stand even looking at you or even breathing the same air as you," Sakura paused when she heard Sasuke scoff wryly. Her firm eyes narrowed in annoyance. "Even so… I don't hate you… because" —her tone had dramatically softened, her mind wandering off to an unforgettable incident— "there's no reason for someone like me to feel any ounce of hatred towards anyone for any reason."

Sasuke was taken aback by this. He expected her to say that she hated him―but she didn't. Not only that… but how she said it and the look on her face: she thought that lowly of herself. He didn't understand her. What was it that made her feel so… insecure and guilty inside? He knew that she felt guilty about something. Her facial expression told him enough.

Sakura felt uneasy on seeing the intense gaze that the Uchiha had directed upon her. It made her feel edgy. Standing up once more, she pulled back the blanket that covered the bed and laid down at the edge of her bed, but not forgetting to sneer at her fiancée beforehand. "You're not putting even one strand of your hair on this bed, you hear me? Sleep on the floor!" She pulled the blanket back up to cover herself, not caring what Sasuke would do to sleep.

"Do you honestly think that I would sleep on the same bed as you?" Sasuke asked with his tone oozing with sarcasm. "The floor would be so much better."

"Yeah, but with no blankets, all you're going to be doing is eating dirt," Sakura replied, her voice also dipped with sarcasm.

"Che, I don't care." Walking towards one corner of the room, Sasuke sat down, leaning his back on the wall for support. His left leg was stretched out, while his right leg was bent, with his right arm resting comfortably on his right knee. Was he really planning to sleep like this? Yes, he was. It was the best position for him to get his rest, and this way, he'd be able to wake up if someone―meaning his fiancée―was trying to sneak up on him.

Before he could close his eyes, he saw Sakura abruptly stand up rushing towards the balcony door. He watched her as she tried to pull the door, using her strength to pry the door open. She pulled the door again… and again, but it wouldn't budge. He noticed her trying to turn the knob, but all he heard was a rattling sound.

Sakura let out a cry of frustration. Turning around, she stomped towards the bathroom in her room. How dare they lock the balcony doors too?!! Really! This was a total outrage!! They were insane!

Thankful that the she was able to turn the knob towards the bathroom, she yanked the door open and slammed it as loud and as hard as she could. If they had locked her bathroom too, she would make their lives a living hell. She would make sure of it.

Sasuke couldn't help but chuckle as he heard the loud slam of the door. That girl… was becoming more and more amusing. He listened to her cussing vulgarities and meaningless threats that only made him smirk.

The door opened with a loud slam, and Sakura walked out of the bathroom in her plain green silk pajamas. She didn't bother… or maybe she didn't want to look at Sasuke, knowing that she would see the smug look on his face.

Without another word of acknowledgement, Sakura jumped on the side of her bed and pulled the comforter over her body up to her chin. "Goodnight," she said quickly, trying to sound polite, but all that came out was an irritated grunt.

Sasuke didn't bother to respond. He watched her, looking closely if she was going to move or cuss at him some more. He kept looking at her for a couple more moments, but when he realized that she wasn't going to move, he closed his eyes.

He needed rest. It was already 2 o'clock in the morning, and they still had school tomorrow, and damn, he wouldn't let his parents' desperate urges get the best of him. If they were expecting him to sleep with **her**, they had another thing coming.

He closed his eyes, trying to fall asleep. They still had school tomorrow, and damn, he wouldn't let his parents' desperate urges get the best of him. If they were expecting him to sleep with **her**, they had another thing coming.

He, then, noticed something. Footsteps. There was someone who was walking towards him. He already knew who it was. Besides the fact that that no one could go inside the room, and there was only one person within the same room as him, he didn't need to make any second-guesses on who it was.

Opening his eyes with his gaze directed to the floor because his head was lowered, he asked in a casual tone, "What do you want?"

There was no answer. Instead, he felt something heavy cover his body. He looked up only to have his vision shadowed by what was hanging over him. He then noticed what it was… a cloth. _What the…?_

Pulling the cloth off of his face, Sasuke looked up only to be face to face with his fiancée. She was looking at him with a blank expression on her calm features. He averted his gaze away from her towards the cloth that was still drapped over his body. He then realized what it was. It was the balnket that covered the bed―her bed.

"What's the matter? Haven't seen a blanket owned by a girl that isn't **pink**?" Sakura asked in annoyance, putting a firm hand on her hip when she saw Sasuke's confused gaze towards her and the blanket he had within his grasp.

"But your hair is pink," Sasuke commented wryly, clutching the covers and raising it level of his face.

"So?" Sakura retorted, "I may like the color **pink**, but I should tell you that I'm not **that** obsessed with the color." She turned away with a scoff, "Besides, it's only a color."

She turned back to see Sasuke, who was giving her a blank stare. Damn, it was annoying her. "What?" She knew what he wanted to know even if he didn't say it out loud. It wasn't like she was going to give him her real reasons. Well, maybe a gist of it, but not all. "I only gave that to you because I wanted to be generous. I don't pity you in any way like that." She snorted and turned away once more when she saw Sasuke raise an amused brow.

She was just using her anger as an excuse to do something for him without even knowing.

"I only thought that it was fair because since I got the bed, you should get something to warm yourself up with. It's cold at night. You'll need it," she concluded with a convincingly annoyed tone and walked back to her bed, wanting to get some rest as soon as possible.

When Sasuke saw Sakura lying back on her bed once more, he brought his attention back to the blanket in his hands. The color… it was… maroon? Weird. Really weird.

He didn't understand her **real** reasons as to why she gave him this. This was also her only way to warm herself up during the night, and yet, she gave it to him. It confused him. He observed the cloth in his hands once more.

Well… he couldn't say that he was grateful. What was he suppose to say? Thank you? Not a chance.

So, he did what he would always do, he pulled the blanket up to his chin, got in a comfortable sitting position while leaning on the wall at the corner and allowed the drowsiness to overtake him, making him drift into unconsciousness in a matter of seconds after feeling the warmth he needed.

* * *

Drifting back to consciousness, he was expecting to see the sunlight lighting and warming the room. It was. Getting his eyes adjusted to his surroundings, he pulled the blanket away from his body, stood up and walked towards the window. Opening the curtains, he blinked in confusion.

What? This didn't make any sense.

It was still dark outside. Maybe the light that illuminated the room was the light bulb at the top of the room. It was still open and neither he nor Sakura had even bothered to turn it off.

Great. How long did he sleep?

Searching for a clock in the room, his eyes landed on the wall beside the bedroom door. It showed that it was only 2 o'clock in the morning. That was even better. He only slept for at least two hours. That wasn't enough. He needed to get more rest.

He, then, heard a soft and helpless moaning and groaning at the side. Turning towards the direction to where the soft noise came from, he saw his rose-haired fiancée trembling and shivering, making her move around the bed every now and then, trying to find a good position to get warmth.

She was cold. Well, it was her own fault for giving him the only thing that could've spared her from the chilly air during the night. Now, she had nothing left to warm herself up from the chilly night.

But there was something he didn't understand. There were many things he didn't understand… about her.

He walked back to the corner where he had slept before, wanting to get more sleep. He wanted to sleep more so that he wouldn't fall asleep while in class. He was an Uchiha. It would be a shame if he slept in class. That would ruin his perfect record.

He stopped and crouched, his hand reaching for the covers that Sakura had given him. He planned on drapping the blanket on him again like before, but… at the moment that he held the blanket in his hands, his mind became set on what he wanted to do even if he didn't know it at the time. His body suddenly moved on its own.

Standing up once more, he strode over to the side of the king-sized bed in the middle of the room, where his fiancée was lying down, while still holding the blanket that she gave him in his hands. He slowly approached her, watching and observing her shivering form because of the coldness in the air.

When he was now standing right beside her, he watched her face twist in a frown and her lips part, letting a moan and a groan escape every now and then. Unconsciously, the blanket slipped out of his fingers and dropped on the floor right beside her bed. Feeling that he needed something to sit on, he looked around for a chair in the room. He found a chair tucked underneath a study table at a separate corner in the room. He walked towards it and dragged it to the side of the bed, where Sakura was lying down.

He sat down and took even more time to observe her plain features. Her hair was still in the same braided pigtails, that had been quite messed up because of the fact that she had been moving a lot in her sleep. She moved once more and turned to the side, now facing him. She snuggled onto her soft pillow, trying to obtain the warmth that it could give her. She shivered once more, not getting the warmth that she needed.

A loose strand of hair obscured her face from his view, making her straight hair even more messier than it already was. Sasuke felt the urge to tuck the hair behind Sakura's ear to get a better look at her face. Even with the thought of restraining himself, his body moved on its own. His hand slowly reached out towards the stray loose strands of pink hair, and gently traced his finger towards the direction of her ear, guiding her soft hair behind it.

When he had tucked back the loose strand of her hair, her lips let out a small moan that brought his attention back to her face. He noticed that she had taken her glasses off. At least, she had enough logic to take off her glasses when she slept. It made him remember that time. That time… when… he almost kissed her. He was really close to kissing her that time.

He turned away, shaking off the thought. Damn. Why was he remembering that time? It would be better off being wiped off of his memory. It was a good thing she didn't know, or rather, remember anything about it. At least, that situation wouldn't be double the trouble. He would be the only one that had to deal with it. She wouldn't be worrying him with what she would think about it.

What she would think about it?

Wait a minute…

_"I only kissed you so that we could finally get out of that pathetic situation. If I didn't let them see what they wanted to see, then we would've been asked to do many more stupid things."_

Damn. How could he have forgotten? He already did kiss her with her knowing! How could he have been so stupid! He said that without thinking… so then… maybe what she said before…

_"You hate me… don't you. You hate me… that much."_

She looked so rejected and hurt at that time. It was like she was very close to crying, but she didn't. Still. He did what he tried to avoid doing. He was such a fool. He was always like that. He always did things without considering the feelings of other people. He only thought about himself, and because of that, he had always ended up hurting the people around him.

Her rejected form flashed in his mind once more.

_"You hate me… don't you."_

No, that wasn't it. Sure, she might be annoying at times, but he… didn't. He didn't hate her.

_"There are times when I can't stand even looking at you or even breathing the same air as you," Sakura paused when she heard Sasuke scoff wryly. Her firm eyes narrowed in annoyance. "Even so… I don't hate you…"_

"I don't hate you… either," he murmured softly to himself, knowing that no one would be hearing what he had just said anyway.

"Father…" a soft whimper rang through the air, making Sasuke's gaze snap back towards his sleeping fiancée.

Was she awake?

He observed her sleeping figure once more, tyring to see if she was indeed sleeping. When he saw a wet crystal-like and salty tear cascading from her closed eyelid down her cold cheek, he felt like he was punched in the stomach. She was crying. What for? He saw her face twist into a pained frown. Was she… having a nightmare?

"I'm sorry… please… come back…" she whimpered helplessly in her sleep "… Father…"

Sasuke's firm gaze softened as he heard this. From the corner of his eye, he noticed the blanket lying on the floor. Deciding to put it to good use, he leaned down from his seat and took the maroon cloth in his hand. Leaning towards the bed, he drapped the cloth around Sakura. He brought the blanket up to her chin, giving her the warmth that she needed.

He didn't need it. That blanket would be more useful if she used it. He could survive in a simple night like this. He didn't need her to worry about him. He was brought back to reality when he saw her face soften comfortably, taking even just a light weight off of her.

But she was still crying?

Bringing his hand up to her teary face, he caressed her cheek that wasn't pressed against the soft pillow where her tears had left wet trails down to her chin. He gently caressed the trail with the back of his index finger until his finger was just right below her closed eye. He, then, changed the course of his finger to the side away from her face, wiping the tears cascading down her cheeks.

He didn't know what he was doing. What **was** he doing? He had to stop this. He had to stop this nonsense.

Standing up from his seat, he decided to go back to the corner where he slept, wanting to get away from her as soon as possible. He was about to walk away when a peculiar force held him back, or rather, something held his shirt back.

He turned around and looked down only to see Sakura's hand clutching the end of his shirt into a tight fist. He inwardly sighed. He didn't understand this. He didn't understand this at all. Putting his hand on her clutched fist, he tried to pry her hand off of his shirt but only ended up making her clutch his shirt even tighter, not planning on letting go. He tried another method in mind, when his first attempt was in vain.

He tried to pull his shirt out of her clutched fist. He tired to pull with as much force that he could muster **without** waking up his heavily sleeping fiancée. He gritted his teeth in annoyance when that didn't work either. He attempted five more times, but all ended up in vain as well.

He sighed in defeat. Might as well give up. She wasn't going to let go. He knew for a fact that she was asleep because she would never do that if she was conscious. She would rather jump off a cliff than do so.

Knowing that he had to sleep **here**―right beside her, he sat back down on his old seat. He closed his eyes, bearing in mind that sleeping on a chair was better than sleeping on a floor.

When the two of them had drifted off into their dreams, Sasuke had unknowingly collapsed on the pillow, sleep overtaking him. He was sitting on the chair, but his head was now resting comfortably on the same pillow that Sakura's head lay comfortably on. His head was directly right above hers, and if someone snuck in the room with them in this kind of position, they would think that the two were a real romantic couple.

Sasuke grunted and brought his head lower, bringing his face closer to Sakura's head. Sakura, sensing the new warmth that had been given to her, snuggled her head towards it. She angled her head upwards, making Sasuke's lips inches away from her forehead.

With a small moan, Sakura murmured with a smile on her face: "Sasuke… no baka…"

* * *

It was 3 o'clock in the morning and the Sabaku-Haruno family was sitting in their separate living room suite. They only used this suite for emergencies and when they wanted to have their privacy.

Everybody was tired. Kankuro stood yawning at a corner. Temari stood beside the door, with a woozy expression. Gaara was leaning in another corner with his eyes closed. Sumire was standing near the door with a cheerful and restless expression on her face.

"Gaara dear, do you want to check up on Sakura-chan?" Sumire suggested with a wide smile.

Gaara's impassive expression changed: his eyes snapped open then changed into a murderous gaze, anticipating the worst possible thing that could happen. Yes, he did assume that his sister had now been tainted by Uchiha Sasuke.

Sasuke should very much prepare himself for Gaara was going to give him a taste of hell. Who knows if Gaara would even let him see the light of day? Hopefully he will, but when Gaara has a murderous intent, leaving his victim alive is the least of his worries.

When Sumire noticed the murderous intent that Gaara was emitting, her mind suddenly changed. "Never mind," she laughed nervously. It would really be a bad idea if she allowed or even thought of Gaara checking up on those two. Who knows what he would do when he saw them… doing something inappropriate. "Kankuro, how about you do it?"

"Sure," Kankuro agreed without a second thought. He really wanted to see this. He started to walk out of the room, but when he spotted his sister, he abruptly stopped and gave Temari a grin. "You coming, Temari?"

Temari smirked, her wooziness disappearing right at that very moment. "You bet I will." Somehow, she felt the excitement and anticipation on what she might see… or possibly… what she might hear.

With that the two siblings strode out of the door, into the hallway and walked towards the direction of their stepsister's room.

Now, with no one residing in the room with her except for her catatonic son, Sumire couldn't help but gulp nervously at how her son was staring at her. It was like he was trying to glare a hole right through her. His murderous intent was now directed towards her. Oh, that was even better. Blame the mother and glare at her until you've succeeded in creating a hole right through her. Like that'll happen. It wasn't like that was going to do anything, or he was going to do anything other than that. Sumire still couldn't help but feel tense, though.

Her son was indeed scary at times. He was really **that** overprotective when it came to his little sister. How could Sakura survive with the suffocation of it?

* * *

"Oh my," Temari gaped in shock at what she saw when the two of them opened the door.

"Well, would you look at that," Kankuro chuckled with a wide grin. "I was right, they are prudes afterall!" He laughed silently in truimph.

"How would you know if they didn't **do** it? They **are **in a very suspicious position," Temari pointed out wisely. She didn't want to lose the bet towards her brothers and would do anything to prove her points―and win.

"You don't see the room messed up, now do you? When people **do **something as messy as that, you would be greeted usually with a dirty and disorganized room," Kankuro countered back with a smug grin. He knew he was going to win. It was damn obvious. "The room looks quite the same from this morning."

His reasons: the two of them were **real** prudes.

"Well… maybe… they did it… you know… in a more gentler manner." Temari tried to think up something believable, but only made up something more unconvincing. She knew that she was fighting a losing battle. Kankuro was… beating her. No way!

"Just admit that you lost… sis," Kankuro shrugged truimphantly.

Temari scowled and snapped her head to the side, where she couldn't see her brother's smug expression. "Whatever." _It's not like he's going to win again._

"Come on, let's go and tell mother. Oh, she's going to love this!" Kankuro grinned at the excitement. How could he not? He had won the bet. That meant: an extra 13 thousand yen in his pocket this month. He was about to walk away, when he saw his sister taking something out of her pocket from the corner of his eye.

"Just a minute." Taking a flip phone out of her pocket, she pressed distinctive buttons, placing her at the camera section. Time to take a picture. Sniggering evilly, Temari pressed a button, taking a picture of the oblivious couple that was sleeping soundly. Their positions were still the same, and they looked like a sweet and romantic couple, in that close position.

Temari giggled, "Jackpot!" She slowly closed the door and turned towards her brother who had his eyebrow raised at her bold actions. Temari immediately defended herself with a quick glare, "What? It's a souvenir." _But it could also be for blackmail,_ Temari added with a secretive smile.

"Sure," Kankuro rolled his eyes. "You're just jealous of them because they look so cute together. You should really get yourself a guy Temari," he teased with a grin.

"Shut up!" Temari hissed. "No man is good enough for me!"

* * *

Letting a groggy moan escape her parted lips, she slowly opened her eyes. She blinked a couple of times, trying to adjust her vision to her surroundings. She yawned, but then blinked in confusion when she felt something wrapped on her. She looked down, and saw her marron blanket. _Why is this here?_

She then, felt something breathing on her head. This caused a shiver to run down her spine. Something… or someone… was breathing on her. She was afraid to look up, but instincts told her that she had to.

Slowly, she angled her head upwards to the side, expecting the worst. Her eyes widened at the sight of her fiancée, who was still sleeping soundly, breathing steadily. She blinked a couple of times, before she was able to react.

She screamed.

* * *

Sasuke rubbed his temple, trying to ease his brain from the high pitched scream that Sakura had emitted moments ago. He had straightened his back from the chair that he was sitting on from beside Sakura's bed, and was now leaning on the chair coolly. "What the hell's wrong with you?" he asked with a snarl.

"Wha―what the hell's wrong―with **me**!?" she asked, awestruck. "What the hell's wrong with _you_?!" She sat up from her bed and glared at her impassive fiancée.

"I'm perfectly fine, thanks," Sasuke replied nonchalantly rolling his eyes.

"You―you were just―how can you―?" she stammered, the right words not flowing from her tongue the right way. When she saw Sasuke's taunting gaze (his eyebrow was mockingly raised), she shook her head and growled, "What are you doing?!"

"What do you think I'm doing?" Sasuke asked, bringing back her own question towards her. He cocked his head to the side, adding to the taunting effect.

_Being an asshole as usual,_ Sakura cussed mentally. She'll just cut to the chase. She was in no mood for games. "You―you were sleeping!" she yelled, but blushed ferociously when the thought of what she was going to say next came to mind. Getting her composure back on track, she was able to control her blushing face and make it subside. She took a deep breath and retorted when she was able to, "You were sleeping―on my bed!!"

Sasuke remained silent for a couple of seconds, infuriating Sakura even more at his lack of response. When he replied, however, it wasn't the words she was hoping for him to say. "Well, you **did** like it, didn't you? That sure made you **more** comfortable," he smirked cockily.

The blush that Sakura fought so hard to subdue came flooding back like a river in a matter of seconds. She scooted away even further from Sasuke, feeling more tense around his presence. Damn him for making her feel this way! She gulped nervously, feeling her beating heart thumping wildly. She gripped the blanket within her grasp even tighter, trying to calm her fluttering heart.

Sasuke noticing her uneasy form, decided to make matters even worse for her, and more amusing for him. "Besides, we are engaged afterall. We would be doing something like this in the future." Sasuke watched her lower her head, the blush on her cheeks becoming more evident from hearing his statement. He smirked inwardly at this, deciding to continue. "But, you could stop that from happening… if you break our engagement." His smirk became even wider, and more visible than before.

Sly move Sasuke. Sly move.

Sakura's tense form immediately slumped at hearing those words. What the―? He was just teasing her for his own selfish reasons. How dare he!! He was really… an asshole. That bastard!

Maybe that move wasn't such a good one afterall. It only succeeded in irking his fiancée.

"You bastard," Sakura's lip twitched in rising irritation, whispering her curse in a low and dangerous tone. She really wanted to kill him.

When he got the reaction that he wanted, he gave one final satisfied smirk before standing up from his seat. He turned his back at Sakura and decided to walk away from her, making her even more irritated at his bold actions.

Damn him! How dare he just walk away from her! She'll definitely not let him escape without her giving him a piece of her mind!

She was about to get up from her bed, when Sasuke abruptly stopped right in front of the door. But that wasn't what stopped her from trying to beat him into a pulp. It was his statement that had struck her speechless… and motionless.

"About what you said yesterday: I don't hate you… either. Even if we have this bet still in play. Even if we're trying to break this engagement… that doesn't mean… that I hate you," he stated in an audible and husky murmur. That was all he said before he continued to stroll towards the door. Before he stepped out of the door he just opened, he stated: "You should also get ready. There's school today."

He left, without another word said, but he didn't leave without his fiancée looking at him with an oddly blank expression.

She continued to stare at the closed door, where Sasuke had once stood in vacant shock. He didn't… hate her. He didn't hate her afterall. She smiled a bittersweet smile. How could his small and short statements… affect her so much. He was so mysterious in his own way. He was a mystery himself.

She looked at the blanket in her grasp once more. She smiled thankfully. "Thank you." She drapped the blanket around her and sniffed it softly, trying to locate his unique scent. She slowly closed her eyes peacefully.

* * *

"Uchiha," a low and threatening voice called out in the hall.

Hearing his name being called, he turned around and saw Sabaku Gaara's dangerous glare directed at him at the other side of the hall.

"What?" He turned around to completely face him, giving him an indifferent gaze.

Gaara only narrowed his glare to a more deadly one.

Realization struck him at that moment when he saw Gaara's intense glare. So that's what he meant. He scoffed, "You don't need to get so furious. I didn't do anything to her."

Still, Gaara's glare didn't waver.

Sasuke saw this from the corner of his eye. He knew that Gaara really didn't trust him much. He turned to fully face Gaara with a calm gaze. "You of all people should know very well where our relationship stands. It's no where near what you're thinking of." Gaara's glare intensified at hearing this. "You shouldn't be so overprotective of her. You're going to make her suffocate," he stated with an arrogant and smug expression.

Gaara muttered in a low and dangerous voice. It was like he was daring Sasuke to say something. "How I deal with things are none of your business, Uchiha." Gaara walked up to Sasuke's still figure. He was about to pass by him when he stopped just right beside him. "Remember this: if you do anything to hurt her, you'll wish that you were better off **dead**."

Sasuke restrained the urge to scoff out loud. _Yeah, like that'll happen._ He wasn't convinced or affected by Gaara's threat.

Gaara passed by him without saying another word. However, before he could distance himself any further than a few feet, someone called him back.

"Wait," Sasuke abruptly called out in a calm tone.

Gaara, even though slightly annoyed, stopped and turned around anyway. Looking at Sasuke impassively, he waited for him to say what he was going to say. What did he want now?

"I need a favor," Sasuke asked calmly.

"No way," Gaara denied immediately without bothering to hear the details.

"You haven't heard it yet." Sasuke gave a low glare.

Gaara shrugged indifferently. "Doesn't matter."

"I'll pay you," Sasuke bribed.

"Cut your head off and put it on a platter," Gaara stated calmly and hardheartedly. He really hated Sasuke's guts. Maybe that would be one way he would finally be fond of the Uchiha. He might just grind his head and burn the remains.

Okay… maybe, he did hate Sasuke with a bloody passion.

"That's not an option," Sasuke snarled.

"We have nothing to talk about," Gaara concluded with a scowl before turning around, trying to walk away from Sasuke. He really didn't want to talk to him anymore. There wasn't anything for them to talk about. Nothing at all.

"Wait," Sasuke called out once more, but this time, Gaara didn't bother turning around to listen to him. Damn. He couldn't let him walk away. No. He needed to ask him something. He needed to know something before he went.

"Wait damn it!" Sasuke snapped with a scowl. "That girl… during the festival. You know her, don't you?"

Gaara instantly stopped. "I don't know who you're talking about."

Sasuke was relieved that Gaara had finally given him a chance to talk. It would be at least more easier for him. "That mysterious pink-haired girl during the festival. Naruto said that you could help me get in touch with her."

"Over my dead body," Gaara calmly replied without bothering to turn around. He didn't need to face the Uchiha for him to listen to what he had to say. He could hear him perfectly well **even** if his back was facing him. _Mysterious, huh?_

This made Sasuke really annoyed. What the hell? "Who is she to you―your girlfriend?" Who did he think he was?

Finally, Gaara turned around and faced him, with the same impassive expression. "I don't have a girlfriend," he replied calmly.

"So, she's a fling then?"

"Do I look like a person who would have flings?" Gaara asked with the same tone as his previous sentence.

"Maybe not," Sasuke muttered softly with a sigh. He shook his head, annoyance sprouting. He didn't have time for this nonsense. He could be doing something else other than this! "Stop beating around the bush and tell me who she is!" Sasuke retorted, letting his anger take control.

Gaara didn't seem to flinch at all. "Did she tell you who she is?"

Sasuke was taken aback by the unexpected question. Even though he wanted to lie to cover his embarrassment, he just couldn't. "She didn't," he replied with an inaudible sigh.

Gaara scoffed, "Then go ask her." He was trying to get Sasuke to leave him alone. His sarcastic remark didn't work though.

"I don't know how to even find her. That's why I'm talking to you," Sasuke replied, his calm and composed self returning.

"What makes you think that I would even let you talk to her?" Gaara was really stubborn. He was such a stubborn mule.

"You don't," Sasuke muttered coolly. He was back to his normal self at least. He needed to get this over with. He wanted to clear his conscience, and this was the only way he could do it.

Taking a deep breath, he murmured, "Just tell her, that… I wanted…" he paused, running a tense hand through his hair, easing his own tension. He could do this. "That… I wanted to say… I'm sorry," he concluded with a sigh.

Gaara's intense gaze softened somewhat, but Sasuke didn't notice this. He was too preoccupied with new thoughts running through his brain. Gaara scoffed and turned around, walking away once more, "Do it yourself."

He needed to make a decision now… if he really wanted to see her. He couldn't let this chance pass by. He might get to talk with Gaara again. This was his chance. "Then…" Sasuke started, taking a deep breath. When he saw that Gaara didn't make any motion to stop, he decided to just get on with it. "Tell her… to meet me at the same park that we last met this weekend. I'll tell her… then," he muttered, turning away to look at the wall beside him in embarrassment.

"Hn," Gaara sounded without bothering to give a real reply. He just continued to walk away without saying another word.

Sasuke oddly didn't stop him anymore. He just watched Gaara walking away from him until he turned around a corner, 'til he was finally out of his sight. He gave a low and inaudible sigh. He turned around and decided to walk towards the opposite direction, thinking of getting out of this house as soon as possible. First, he needed to find where his parents' were, and give them a piece of his mind.

Like that'd help.

* * *

"The Uchihas have left, I pressume?" Sumire asked in an oddly normal tone.

Ayame nodded respectfully. "Yes, they said that they had to leave for a business meeting as well." She didn't want to disappoint her mistress even if they were close friends. She had been serving as her maid for 10 years now, and she still didn't want to get on her bad side. An example of that was yesterday. Sumire really scared her with that agitated look on her face. Thank goodness Sakura defended her, or she might have lost her job―even if they were friends.

"I see," Sumire muttered with a small smile. "Well then, I should be gone myself. I wouldn't want to be late for my own meetings. If I keep slacking off, my subordinates might take over and I'll lose everything. Sora wouldn't want that now, would he?" Sumire chuckled playfully. She was still her old witty and childish self.

Ayame laughed nervously. Her mistress really did love slacking off.

"I have to show them who's the boss, so they would think twice before messing with me," Sumire chirped with utter determination. She even pumped her fist in the air like a teenager.

Ayame couldn't help but shake her head with a disturbed sigh. She was still the same Sumire alright.

"Well then, I should be off," Sumire stated as she took the small bag that Ayame was holding in her hands.

While handing the handback towards her mistress, Ayame couldn't help but ask, "When will you be back?"

"In a month or two at the most. You know that I would never leave my children for too long! I'll be back." Sumire smiled, chuckling playfully once more.

"But… won't you even say goodbye to your children?" Ayame had never asked this question even though she had seen it happen many times in the past. She really found it quite… sad. She knew that her question was out of line, but… she was… concerned.

Sumire didn't seem offended by the sudden question though. She just smiled and shrugged carelessly. "You know that it's nothing new. I'm used to it anyway."

Ayame's eyes softened sadly. "That's… so sad…" It was like they didn't care for each other. What was the point of that dinner they had together every year? Was that only a façade to make them look as if they were a family? If not… then what was the real significance of that dinner?

"I can't force them to do something that they don't want to do," Sumire stated humbly―like a real parent.

"Isn't that what happened when your husband died?" Ayame asked, getting too comfortable with the current situation. She immediately realized her mistake. She gasped, "I'm so sorry. I went out of line. I was just―"

"It's alright," Sumire dismissed softly. "It's true that Sora died when Sakura carelessly forgot to bid him goodbye… for the first time. However, they had never actually said goodbye to me, so I really don't think that it matters."

That was true. Things happen beyond our expectations. Something will happen… when we least expect it.

Sumire took a deep breath and decided to continue her statement: "Sakura felt guilty because she couldn't bid her father goodbye at the time that she wouldn't be able to see him again, but…"

"Please," Ayame interrupted. "Don't say such things." She didn't want them to bury themselves within negative thoughts.

_… at least they wouldn't feel guilty if a tragedy occurs that would cause for us to never see each other again in this world._

Sumire smiled one last time before changing the subject. "Well, I should better go. My jet is waiting for me." She took a deep breath before walking out of the front door, indicating that their conversation had come to a close.

However, before she could even shut the door, a familiar voice called out.

"Wait a minute!"

"Sakura-sama?" Ayame's voice rang through the air in an inquisitive manner.

Sumire instantly stoped and remained frozen at the doorway. Her daughter… was here? That was odd. Why was she here…? It couldn't be.

* * *

"Sakura?" Sumire asked, looking at her daughter standing right in front of her, perplexed. She didn't know whether she should feel happiness or something else because of her daughter's odd change of behavior. "What are you doing here?"

Sakura opened her mouth to speak, but only a tense sigh came out. How was she going to do this? Taking a deep breath, she tried to form the right words out of her mouth, but they came out as a nervous stutter. "I… I was just…" she groaned out of frustration. It was so very simple. She just needed to say one sentence, and she still couldn't do it.

She could feel her mother's gaze fixed on her. Damn. This was only making her even more tense.

Okay. She could do this.

Taking steady breaths, she sighed and decided to get it over and done with. She turned her head away to the side as a sign of the embarrassment that she felt. "Take… take care of yourself…" she muttered taking glances at her mother, to make her mother understand who her statement was directed to.

This was just so embarrassing.

Sumire couldn't help but feel overwhelmed with happiness. Although her face remained blank, she could still feel the wonderful feeling of a huge weight taken off her shoulders. She inwardly smiled. For the very first time, her own daughter has finally bid her farewell whenever she went to her business meetings. Sakura actually came… just to say that.

It made her extremely happy. She finally felt like a real parent over the years.

But, being the same Sumire, she didn't show her sincere happiness. She showed her chirping enthusiasm. "How wonderful! My daughter has finally bid farewell to her mother! Don't you think so, Ayame?"

Ayame, still as confused as ever, took a couple of seconds to reply, "Er… yes…" She was still quite unsure of what she just said. Her mind wasn't working at the moment.

Sakura flushed in utter embarrassment. Figures that her mother would have a reaction such as this. It was somehow irritating her and making her have second thoughts about what she just did. She should've done nothing.

She arched a firm eyebrow when she saw her mother giving her those looks that completely told her that she was up to something. What could she be up to now?

"But you know, I really enjoyed that beautiful kiss that you too shared yesterday," Sumire chuckled. "It was absolutely splendid!!"

"Wha―what kiss? You mean… you actually… saw that…?" Sakura asked, gaping with a disgusted and shocked expression.

"Didn't you know? The dining room was videotaped during your entire counselling session. You know what that means right?" Sumire gave an innocently smug expression. Oh, the horrid expression that her daughter was giving her was really making her day. "I should've put a camera in your room too, so I could've seen the action." She winked in a fit of giggles.

"Mother!" Sakura exclaimed, exasperated. She really didn't want that happening―at all. Why couldn't she just have her own privacy?

Since when did that ever happen?

**_TBC_**

**

* * *

A/N:** Sorry for the delay. Too many things happened. Three months delay. Gomen, gomen, me and my sister were busy, and she couldn't edit my fic, nor could I write. Oh yeah, added a little mother daughter moment between Sakura and Sumire. Not only is it essential to the plot, but it also adds variety to the current relationships in the fic. Ah, Sasuke, who knew he could be so sweet… but only when Sasuke's asleep. Ah damn.

* * *

**Chapter 16―Suspicions**

Sai couldn't help but chuckle when Sasuke completely ignored him. He then wondered, "What did I do that had made you so… angry?" He had a clue of what the reason was, and that just made him delighted to ask the question even more. He was curious on how Sasuke would answer it.

Sasuke remained silent and refused to reply.

Sai smirked, getting oddly amused by the silent treatment that the Uchiha was giving him. "Was it because you were… jealous?" He was already jumping to conclusions. Not that he cared.

Sasuke's steps ceased and finally stopped in the middle of the hall. This might just be the proof of one thing. Was he indeed… jealous?

Sai became interested. Somehow, he knew that Sasuke would react this way. No. Actually, he was just trying to mess with him. He just wanted to see him annoyed, and seemed that his attempts weren't in vain, after all.

However, it didn't seem that way.

When Sasuke turned around, he smirked arrogantly and stated, "Not really." There was a short pause. "I just don't like seeing your face."

**

* * *

Updated: **April 19, 2007


	16. Suspicions

**Engagement On Hold**

**Summary:** (AU) Uchiha Sasuke is Konoha High's reigning prince. Haruno Sakura is…? Who is she again? What happens when the guy everybody knows finds himself engaged to the girl nobody knows?

**Genre: **Romance/Humor/Drama

**Pairings:** Sasuke/Sakura, Naruto/Hinata, Itachi/Sakura (What's wrong with me? I don't really know.)

**Author: **pei-chan

**Beta-reader:** Ruru Kitsuneko

**Chapter length (notes and sneak peaks excluded): **20 pages; 9, 652 words

**Disclaimer:** Wouldn't it be nice if Sasuke and Sakura were really engaged in the Naruto series? Then again, that would only occur in our dreams… ne?

**

* * *

Chapter 16―Suspicions**

Such a great day. Here he was, at his own mansion, listening to his mother's lecture before he would leave for school and before she would leave for her business meeting in England.

"That was such a bold move, Sasuke-kun! I never knew you had it in you!" Mikoto complimented with an enthusiastic chirp.

Well, that sure didn't sound like a lecture.

Sasuke groaned slightly irritated. He really wanted his mother to leave him alone. Now, he was really having second doubts on what he did yesterday. He knew that his parents were going to make it an issue, but he never imagined that they were going to make it **such** an issue that they had to talk about it for a whole hour. It was driving him nuts!

He really needed to get out of here, now!

Mikoto sighed dreamily, "My son is finally becoming a man! Oh how wonderful!"

Sasuke snorted mentally. Now, he was really having second thoughts. He really shouldn't have done that. Kissing his fiancée just made his situation even worse than before.

Suddenly, his mother banged her hand on the sofa that she was sitting on and stood up, snapping Sasuke out of his trance.

Sasuke didn't know why his mother was suddenly looking at him as if he had done something terrible. First, she was so giddy, and now she was glaring at him sternly. What the hell was wrong now?

"Don't tell me.." Mikoto took a deep breath, trying to brace herself for the worst. "You… you two did** it** didn't you," his mother sobbed. Apparently, his mother was excellent for her mood swings.

"What the―who the hell gave you **that** idea?!" Sasuke looked at his mother with a disgusted and confused gaze. Damn. What was his mother thinking? Farfetched stuff again.

"Obviously when two people in the opposite sex were stuck in a room―what do you think they would do!" Mikoto's tone raised, anticipating for the worst. Her son has become a complete pervert and lusty being! Mikoto small sobs became more coherent now.

"Who the hell gave you that kind of idea?!" Sasuke snarled in shock. His mother was really taking nonsense. She should know that he was better than that.

"Now, you even got your fiancée pregnant! Oh the horror!" Mikoto sobbed as she shook her head.

Sasuke's eyebrow twitched in annoyance. What the hell! Still, he couldn't help but listen to his mother's ranting for a while longer.

"My grandchild is going to be born a bastard!" Mikoto buried her face in her cupped hands and continued to sob for her nonexistent grandchild's anticipated fate.

Sasuke snapped. Now that was going _way_ too far! "Hey, you can't just assume things like that!" He snarled with his lip twitching along with his eyebrow. Now, he really didn't find himself comfortable in his seat―not when his mother's looming above, crying her heart out in assuming something that never existed, or never occurred.

Mikoto ignored her son's reprimand and continued to go on in her own world. "How could you become **so** irresponsible!" She paused, thinking about something… more like a solution to her delusional occurrences. "I know what we could do. We'll get you married as soon as possible! How does next month sound?" Her tone became quite giddy, and it was scaring Sasuke.

Mood swings.

"You planned that all along, didn't you?" Sasuke asked, his lip and eyebrows continued to twitch.

"Maybe…" Mikoto drawled innocently. "I just can't believe that I'm going to be a grandmother. Oh, the joy!" Mikoto chirped with great enthusiasm.

There was only one thing that was going on in Sasuke's brain.

_Get me out of here._

* * *

She was confused. What drove her to do that? Why did she do that? She really didn't understand. She made a plain sigh.

Maybe… it was because of what her mother said yesterday. Maybe… that was the reason.

* * *

**_Flashback_**

It was breakfast time and the Uchihas were already in the dining room, eating breakfast along with the three Sabaku siblings. The Uchihas insisted that they needed to get home, but Sumire was able to persuade them on staying even just for breakfast.

Sumire even wanted to have Sakura and Sasuke walk to school together, but before she could even utter a peep out of her mouth, Gaara's silent yet small glare had shut her up completely. This was a sign of relief for both Sakura and Sasuke. No one knoew about their engagement. As much as possible, they had kept it secret―even to their closest friends. It wasn't like their engagement was going to be permanent anyway.

It was going to be broken sooner or later.

That is… if they could manage to survive up to that time.

It was in the hallway that she had that private conversation with her mother. It all started, when she saw her mother walking out of the dining room. Her body just moved on its own. She excused herself as politely as she could and followed her mother out of the room.

She didn't need to worry about her lack of manners because the Uchihas had left already excused themselves from the dining room, preparing themselves to leave for their home. It was a relief―actually―that she didn't have to deal with the embarrassment that her mother would cause in front of other people. It was a funny thing that she had never really been embarrassed with herself, but if it was her mother on the line―that would be a whole different story.

"Mother!"

Sumire turned around and her cool expression immediately faltered when she saw her daughter striding towards her. Her giddy old self returned and she gave a cheerful grin towards her approaching daughter.

"Ah, Sakura-chan! What brings you out here, dear?" Sakura opened her mouth to speak, but Sumire quickly made her own assumption before Sakura could even say anything. "Wait―wait―let me guess," she waved her hands, signaling not to be interrupted. "You can't wait to be with your fiancée, since you spent an intimate night together. Ah, I could see it now." Sumire sighed with great contentment, her mind occupied with farfetched imaginations… and might even be… perverted.

Sakura flushed in deep shades of crimson. She gaped in shock, but rage immediately filled her shocked expression. "Don't assume things that you aren't even sure of!!" She retorted with a loud voice. "You don't even know what happened," she snarled in a more soft yet annoyed voice as her temper eased.

"Oh, then what happened?" Sumire asked bluntly. She wasn't going to beat around the bush. When she wanted to know something, she'll ask straight on.

_"About what you said yesterday. I don't hate you… either. Even if we still have this bet still in play. Even if we're trying to break this engagement… that doesn't mean… that I hate you."_

His voice was what the first thing that struck in her mind. No, it definitely wasn't romantic or any of that sort. It was a plain and simple sentence, but… it meant something of great importance to her. His simple statement made her feel relaxed… happy and even warm inside.

Yet…

… She didn't know why…

"Nothing really," Sakura turned away with a scoff that was really quite unconvincing. Getting her composure under control, she decided to get to the topic that she really wanted to talk about. She wanted to know something. She wanted to know… her mother's… answer.

Maybe… that would ease her mind… even for a bit.

"Why is it? Why did you have to invite them? You knew very well that its **our** special day. You know that, right? And yet, you still invited them. Do you really like seeing me―?"

"Enough," Sumire muttered in a soft yet stern manner. "Stop right there," her voice didn't show any ounce of being offended. Her voice seemed blank and uncaring. "You of all people should know that I **am** not so shallow and do things like that."

Sakura's eyes narrowed, taken aback by her mother's change of tone. Her mouth remained shut and she didn't say anything.

"The reason I invited them was because I wanted you to move on and stop blaming yourself for what happened," Sumire said in a soft and soothing voice like how a real mother should have.

"It's like, you were able to move on so fast. Did you even care at all?" Sakura asked, finding her voice once again. She looked at Sumire intensely, patiently waiting for her reply.

"Tell me. Do you think anything will change if I keep thinking about that?" Sumire asked, not fully answering her daughter's question.

Sakura remained silent, know knowing what to answer or even **how **to answer the question.

"Do you think that my sad emotions will bring him back?" Sumire asked after a short pause.

Sakura still couldn't say anything.

Sumire sighed, knowing that her daughter had got her point. "You should know that there are other people who had experienced far worse things than you ever could. Feeling sorry for yourself and thinking like you had the worst fate of all… that only shows how **selfish** you are."

Sakura blinked and her eyes widened when she heard this. She wasn't offended in any way, no, that wasn't it. It was the fact that her mother had completely seen through her. It seemed like it didn't even take an effort. She couldn't deny it. She couldn't bring herself to.

Sumire deeply sighed. "I'm not your father. You should know that. You can't expect me to treat you the same way like he did to you."

Sakura lowered her gaze silently. She'll take all the things that her mother said.

Sumire stated in a calm and cool manner. "I have my own way of doing things. Your father and I are different… but it also makes me wonder…"

It was because…

"If you have ever even thought of me as your mother," Sumire concluded with a sad smile.

… she deserved it.

**_End of Flashback_**

* * *

How was she suppose to answer that? What did she want her to say? Damn, she was so confused. That was the reason why she wanted to come and see her mother one last time before she left.

Sakura had wanted to apologize, but she just couldn't bring herself to do it. She had too much pride to do such a thing. She didn't even know if her presence alone even helped.

* * *

There was a hasty knock heard on the opposite side of the door. Uchiha Mikoto was just about to leave the Uchiha manor for her business meeting when she heard the hasty knocking. She blinked and thought that it may have been her chauffer, reminding her that it was time to leave.

Mikoto formed a sigh and a groan. She had wanted to continue her discussion with her youngest son about what happened during the _sexual_counselling that occurred yesterday. Sasuke had finally convinced her on going to her business meeting by promising her that he would tell her the details when she got back from her meetings. Being the naïve and trusting mother that Mikoto was, she believed her son… without any second thoughts.

Mikoto approached the door slowly, assuming that it was her concerned chauffer, wanting to remind her about her schedule. However, as Mikoto approached the door, the knocking from the other side became more… violent and much more impatient. She could now see the door slightly shaking from the restless and loud banging from the other side.

This was definitely not her chauffer. It was someone else with an impatient personality.

She could now her vile cussing located just at the other side of the door. The impatient voice was muffled, but the curses that the person was muttering was said in a very clear but vile manner.

Now Mikoto was quite sure that this was **definitely **someone else. She became curious on who would be visiting the Uchiha manor at this time of the day. She swung the door open as it creaked and revealed a pissed off Watanabi Ami. Her foot was raised in a position of kicking the door open. It was a great timing for Mikoto to open the door when she did, or the Uchiha manor wouldn't have a front door anymore.

Ami's nasty, impatient and selfish snarl was wipped off completely at the sight of Uchiha Mikoto, blinking in a confused manner. The words, 'This girl was just about to break my door into shreds' was completely written on Mikoto's confused expression.

Ami, sensing the confused vibes that Mikoto was sending towards her, immediately tried to cover her… violent and aggressive self by… pretending to be an innocent and sweet girl. Yeah right…

That would only happen if Ami actually thought that the woman standing before her was Sasuke's mother.

Alas, she didn't.

"You should open the door in time. Guests aren't supposed to be kept waiting, you know." Ami spat out with a snarl.

Mikoto frowned at the girl's rudeness. "Excuse me?" She was curious and somewhat annoyed. How was this girl even able to get passed the main gates?

Ami brushed passed Mikoto and invited herself in the Uchiha household… er―manor. She looked around the place admiring the wealth of the Uchiha family. Oh boy, she chose wisely.

"I came here for Sasuke-kun," Ami smiled smugly.

Who the hell was this girl? Mikoto was getting even more confused. She had never seen this girl before in her life and this girl was acting like she was too familiar with her son.

"Don't just stand there! Hurry up and call Sasuke-kun! We're going to be late for school," Ami ordered, thinking like she was already part of the Uchiha family and was ordering one of the help.

Mikoto dismissed the fact that this girl was treating her like a maid. That didn't really matter to her at that very moment. "Uh… it's 7:30 in the morning," Mikoto said calmly. It would take more than that to make her snap.

Talk about desperate.

"The point is that Sasuke-kun is going to school with me! Just call him already!" Ami yelled, her temper rising in every second that was wasted. Maids these days… they can't even follow orders like before. Now, they would ask questions about their task and not just do what they were told.

What a disappointment…

Ami's arrogant yelling still didn't affect Mikoto as she remained as calm as before. However, her facial expression wasn't really as calm as her looked. _She isn't treating me like what I think she's treating me as…_

"Why can't you maids just do what you're told?" Ami gave an arrogant snarl. This maid was really gatting on her nerves.

Mikoto snapped. What was that…?! _Maid… am I? _That just confirmed everything.

But instead of yelling at the girl and reprimanding her, Mikoto had other plans. With a eerie smile, Mikoto stated in a sweet tone that could match Ami's any day. "Well, dear―" however, before she could finish her sentence, there was an interruption.

"Mother," Sasuke came out of a door nearby and was walking towards the two women at the entrance hall.

Mikoto looked at her son with a groan. _Why did he have to interrupt at this time?_ She was almost there… but Sasuke just **had **to interrupt. Why now?

"Ah―Sasuke-kun!" Ami chirped enthusiastically, running towards the approaching Uchiha.

"Mother, what's going on here?" Sasuke asked, paying only a momentarily glance at Ami and focusing all his attention towards his mother.

Before Mikoto could speak, Ami had already interrupted her with her selfish mouth. "She's your mother?" Ami asked, poiting at Mikoto in disbelief.

Mikoto couldn't help but twitch at how this **girl** was talking to her and how awfully rude she's uttering her name in front of her son. Really. The nerve. Why was this girl here in the first place?

"Why are you here Ami?" Sasuke asked flatly, not bothering to waste any more time. She never came to his manor before―why now?

Ami gave flirty smiles and giggles when Sasuke shot this question. She was acting like he just asked her to marry him―like that would ever happen. Giggling like an innocent little girl, Ami battled her eyelashes at Sasuke's direction that he dismissed indifferently. "How about we go to school together… in my limo today Sasuke-kun?" Ami said in a high pitched and flirty voice.

Sasuke merely remained stoic and silent like he didn't even hear any word that Ami had said at all. He merely looked at her indifferently. It was quite obvious that he was going to reject her offer. Ami, however, wasn't the type of girl to give up so easily. It wouldn't hurt on trying now―would it?

Ami was waiting patiently for her handsome _**prince**_ to respond, but Mikoto broke the annoying silence, not bothering to hear her son's response. "Sorry dear, he's already taken," Mikoto informed in a forced sweet voice. Oh, she couldn't wait to see the look on this poor unfortunate girl's face when she tells her that her son's already engaged.

Mikoto knew that no one outside the family knew about her son's engagement with the Haruno girl because of the fact that no one had even spoken about it. The media was the same as before. They were still desperate to talk to the Uchiha family, but the engagement was never mentioned by anyone in the media. Konoha High remained the same as it always was. It was the same gossip filled school full of rich and selfish brats that only cared about money and the richest opposite sex. No gossip about the sudden engagement of the youngest Uchiha was ever uttered in any of the student's lips.

It had been the same.

Mikoto couldn't wait to see the look on this young girl's face. The anticipation of it was getting to her.

"I know," Ami shrugged with a smile.

Mikoto shook her head in sudden disbelief. "What?" she asked. Did she know?

"I know that I will become Sasuke-kun's lovely wife in the future! We will be married eventually," Ami giggled knowingly. She was really **that **conceited.

Mikoto snapped with her temple throbbing. How dare she speculate things so easily! "You can't just assume things like that! I'm his mother, and believe me I would never―ever―"

"I'll go with you," Sasuke suddenly said in a mumble that refrained Mikoto from finishing her sentence.

"Hm?" Ami blinked in disbelief. Did he just say what she thought he just said?

Mikoto gaped in utmost disgust. What did he just say?!

Sasuke didn't repeat himself. He didn't like repeating himself. "Wait for me outside," he mumbled, turning around to walk up the marble stairs towards his room.

Ami didn't need to be told twice. With a delighted squeal, she skipped her way towards the door, not bothering to say goodbye to her 'soon-to-be-mother-in-law', or so she says. She was too busy getting over excited about the fact that Uchiha Sasuke had actually abide to her offer. Oh, it was really her lucky day.

Mikoto watched the giddy girl in disgust. She really didn't like this girl. She really didn't like this girl at all.

Ami opened the door but didn't walk out without biding Mikoto a farewell. "Bye Mikoto-san!" Ami giggled with great enthusiasm… more like a giggle of mockery. "Er… mother!"

She was getting familiar with her―too familiar.

Mikoto gave a disgusted smile before Ami had walked out of the door and shut it behind her. That girl would never be part of their family―even if it was the last thing that she would do! She would never allow it!

It was really obvious on what a backstabber she was. Real obvious.

Sasuke suddenly passed Mikoto snapping out of her long revevie. Sasuke didn't even bother biding her farewell. It was like she didn't exist. Her son was really growing up into a rude, **but** independent child.

Why though? Why did he accept that vile creature's offer. Didn't her son love her anymore? When the door closed behind the departing Sasuke, Mikoto took this chance to speak. "He really does like seeing me suffer," Mikoto shook her head with a sigh.

* * *

It was the same as usual for him. The same routine. He would come to school at least an hour early and roam around the empty halls of the school in silence. It would seem like that wouldn't be happening this time.

In front of him was a unfamiliar face that he had never encountered before whenever he would pass by the busy halls of the school during the day. He had never seen this person before, but he was already sensing something about him. Something that told him that he should stay away from this person. Well, that can't be helped now in this kind of situation.

He noticed someone staring at him. Sai turned to the side and smiled recalling the familiarity of this person standing right beside him.

Neji's eyes narrowed, not returning Sai's humble gesture of friendliness. Deciding not to associate with this stranger any longer, he walked passed him, pretending as if he didn't encouter anybody's presence in the school in that early morning.

Before Neji could get far though, Sai decided to start a conversation with him. Something that they both would know about. "Haruno Sakura…" Sai trailled off as he heard an abrupt halt from behind him.

Neji couldn't help but stop as he heard the name of his cousin's best friend. Now he became curious. What about her? Why is he mentioning her name to him? He wasn't even close to the girl. Why did he want to talk to him about her?

"You know… don't you…" Sai muttered in an amused yet gentle tone, but even with that gentle tone held a slight hint of mockery that Neji noticed.

Now he understood. Is that what he meant? This caused a smirk to materialize on Neji's lips. For the first time, he turned around and looked at Sai face to face. "So what if I knew," Neji replied curtly.

"Don't you want everyone to know about it as well. Everyone seems to be blind about it. why not help them out a little," Sai said with a sneaky smile with great self intent.

Neji knew what Sai wanted. It was quite obvious. "Why should I pry into other people's business. I don't have the right to say something as important as someone else's secret―and neither do you. I think that may be the reason why you are trying to make someone do the work for you." He wasn't stupid. The answer was written all over Sai's face.

Sai's smile disappeared, definitely offended by what Neji said.

"I'm right, aren't I?" Neji asked coolly.

Sai's eyes narrowed, somehow annoyed that things weren't going well as he planned. After a while, he was able to build up his composure once again. "I have my own reasons," he shrugged calmly.

Neji turned around, having Sai face his back once again. "It doesn't matter to me what she does with that secret of hers and **why** she's keeping it a secret from everyone," Neji started walking away, but paused after ataking four steps forward.

The secret that Sakura was keeping wasn't only her real appearance, but also the fact that she was related to the Sabakus and was in fact quite loaded. Everyone knew and thought that she was a scholar student, and Sakura never denied any of their conjectures.

"What matters is that I know about it," Neji concluded, ending their conversation right at the moment that he ended his sentence.

They both had something to think about, and something else to deal with.

* * *

"Did you see that?"

"Sasuke-kun and Ami-chan went to school together!"

A gasp was heard, "Are you serious!!"

"That can't be!"

"Don't tell me they're hitting it off now?"

"Ah, Ami-chan is so lucky!" A girl squealed in delight.

"I'm jealous," another girl admitted with a snarl.

Sakura was strollong the halls of the school hearing incoherent murmurs that everyone had been muttering for quite a while now. She was too preoccupied and distracted to understand any word they were saying. The never ending sounds and squeals of the girls that she was passing by was getting on her nerves.

It was quite annoying and irritating.

Not like she cared anyhow.

Sakura continued to walk silently down the hall towards the location of the front doors of the school, desiring to have some fresh air. She felt like she was suffocating within this clamped halls. There were too many students, too many annoying voices and squeals to listen to, and too many snotty remarks being said.

It was really suffocating.

She rolled her eyes in annoyance once more when a high pitched squeal reached her aching eardrums before she opened the from doors of the school with a gentle push. She was about to walk out of the school when the sight of the person in front of her made her blink in silent shock.

There was her own fiancée, Uchiha Sasuke, standing right in front of her with a smug Watanabe Ami by his side. No. She wasn't shocked because of the fact that Sasuke and Ami arrived together at school, but by the fact that she didn't expect seeing her fiancée again…

… in this kind of situation.

How odd.

Ami couldn't help but smirk at the sight of the _school geek_, or so she calls the girl standing in front of her. The shocked expression on the girl's face wa really what she expected. She really loves the jealous, angry and shock expressions that other people has. It was just what she needs to make her day.

_Take that―you bitch!!_ Ami was mentally cackling with glee.

Sakura, however, didn't look as if she cared about that fact. No, that didn't matter to her. Actually, she didn't even know that these two even went to school together. Sure, she knew the fact that they went to school at the same time―but not together.

Blinking in confusion, Sakura switched her gaze from Sasuke to Ami back and forth for a couple of seconds. Because of the odd and uneasy situation, Sakura's mind became blank from the tension within the atmosphere she was in.

Sasuke didn't help Sakura's situation. In fact, he had made things even worse. Looking at his fiancée after noticing her presence before him, the corner of his mouth quirked into a smirk.

Sakura slightly cringed visibly that her fiancée didn't fail to notice. Did he just… smirk at her? Was he mocking her about what happened between them yesterday and this early morning, or was he just teasing her? She took a step back nervously.

A red hue, reflected the embarrassment that Sakura was feeling at the moment. The very moment that her fiancée smirked at her, flashes of the incidents last night and earlier in the morning replayed in her mind. What she kept remembering, however, was when Sasuke had unexpectedly kissed her.

Was that why he was actually smirking at her?

This only increased her embarrassment as she tried to run away. Turning to the side, she walked towards a separate hallway within the school, trying to distance herself from Sasuke and Ami as much as possible. It wouldn't be a good idea to linger there any longer. She had a feeling that if she stayed a minute longer within the same place as her fiancée, he might pull off the same stunt… just like yesterday.

She couldn't trust him right now.

But…

… Was that the real reason?

Ami watched as the whole scenery unfolded; from the part that her **Sasuke-kun** smirked at the geeky loser , just like how she had always called Sakura as whenever she was talking about the girl. Her hatred towards the oblivious and indifferent girl can't seem to disappear eversince the time that Sakura humiliated her in front of everyone. Well, it wasn't like she has ever forgiven anyone who had… **sinned **against her.

She saw how the geek blush, wide eyed. That really disgusted her. Being the possessive and obsessive girl that she is, Ami doesn't like sharing her **property** with anyone―no matter who it was. She was the only one who deserved to blush within Sasuke-kun's presence.

Obsessive much.

Sasuke could only watch with a blank expression as he saw his fiancée walk away from him in a fast pace. He noticed the blush that stained her cheeks before and he couldn't help but become amused by her innocent reaction. Smirking cockily once more at the sight of Sakura walking away from him, he walked forwards, towards a different direction to where his fiancée was going. He didn't plan on going after her.

Why would he need to? He got the reaction that he wanted, and that was enough for him.

He didn't even notice that he had already left Ami without even thanking her for the ride to school. Well, it wasn't like him to thank anyone anyway, so what was the point. It didn't even occur to him that Ami was right beside him anyway.

He must've forgotten.

Ami couldn't help but gape in shock at the sight of her future _husband_ walking away from her. Did he just…? But he didn't even…? Where was her goodbye kiss and thanks? He was suppose to even ask her to a romantic dinner this evening. When she has recovered from the shock of being unconsciously rejected by Sasuke for the very **first** time, she gritted her teeth in anger and growled in annoyance.

It was all because of that geek! Damn her! That bitch! She always had to ruin everything! Everything that she had wanted had all been taken by her, which angered her greatly. Come to think of it… there was someone else that had taken everything away from her two years ago. That didn't matter anymore though; she had already taken care of it.

Now, her new problem was about this geek, Haruno Sakura!

* * *

She continued to walk and walk, looking back every now and then and trying to see if someone was following her. It was only a precaution, and it wasn't like her **fiancée** would even think about following her, but it couldn't hurt to make sure.

Taking one more look back, Sakura sighed in relief at the good turn of her luck. All she wanted was to have a break from all the tension that her family had caused her. Seeing her fiancée so soon just wasn't a good idea. He had only made her remember **that** incident.

She brought her hand towards her chest and tried to control her breathing. Her heart was beating too fast, and it was making her even more tense at every passing second. Her hand crumpled her uniform within a closed fist. Breathe in and out. She needed to calm herself down.

"Sakura-chan," a loud familiar voice reached Sakura's ears, helping her calm herself even faster than it could've taken.

Sakura turned with a confused frown on her face, "Naruto?"

"Sakura-chan," Naruto whined as he closed the distance between the two of them. This earned him a deeper frown from Sakura, apparently not understanding what he could be whining about. "Have you see Hinata-chan?" He asked restlessly.

"Hinata?" Sakura asked out loud, thinking back through the morning if she had seen her best friend. When she finally found her answer, she was able to focus her attention once more towards Naruto who was standing in front of her, looking at her with those eyes burning with desperation and intent. He really does like Hinata, huh? "Uh… no," Sakura replied in a soft and hesitant tone.

She didn't know if her answer was the right answer, but in this case, she couldn't lie to Naruto even if she had wanted to.

With his hands formed into a tight fist, Naruto growled with anger. "I'm going to kill that Sai," Naruto murmured in a low and deadly voice and proved his murderous intent. He started glaring at an invisible figure of Sai standing in front of him while he murmured his gruesome ideas on how to give the new **arrogant** new student a painful death. He really hated Sai that badly for how he was treated yesterday.

Well… who wouldn't.

Sakura frowned, looking at Naruto as if he just got out of an asylum. He was really acting like a murderous madman right now. _O… kay… _She waited for him to stop talking, hoping for silence, but when he didn't, she couldn't help but sigh and turn away from him. The sight of Naruto talking to himself was just wasn't what she needed right now.

Suddenly, a pair of hands grabbed her shoulders and forcefully turnd her around, so that she would be looking at Naruto's disturbing sight once again. However, this time, it just got worse.

With Naruto's hands gripping Sakura's shoulders tightly, he asked with a anxious sob. "Sakura-chan, we've got to find Hinata-chan! Sai might be with her―and that is definitely bad news. For all we know, he might be a sexual offender―"

Sakura couldn't help but give Naruto a shocked frown, _What the hell is he saying?_

"Or a murderous killer―"

Sakura's frown deepened into a frown of disbelief, _He's insane._

"Or he could even be a hired hitman―"

With a sigh, Sakura added mentally, _He really _**is **_insane._

"Or something!" Naruto muttered quickly and shook Sakura vigorously, making Sakura's head and world shake.

Oh great, even better.

Now he was turning into an overprotective 'friend'.

_My world is shaking,_ she commented dryly besides the fact that she was quite dizzy at the moment. Sakura brought her hands and gripped Naruto's arms, silently asking him to stop shaking her and making her dizzy.

"Eh… sorry, Sakura-chan," Naruto stopped and released her aching shoulders when he suddenly felt Sakura's hands grip his arms. He must've shook her too much that her brain was shaking.

He was too enthusiastic and lively for her. She didn't think that she would even survive to live another day if she was to spend a day with him. She wouldn't be able to handle Naruto's enthusiasm.

Shaking her head once more as a way to get herself focused once more and think about something else other than her throbbing head, she brought her hand to her temples and started rubbing them to ease the pain that Naruto had caused.

"I'm sorry, Sakura-chan. I must've gotten carried away. That Sai is just getting on my nerves," Naruto said, still as breathless as before. "I don't trust him. That smile of his is very suspicious. Who knows, he might be some kind of―"

"Naruto," Sakura cut Naruto off from finishing the rest of his sentence. "Tell me, how do you feel about Hinata?" Sakura lowered her hands that was rubbing her temples moments ago to her side and looked at Naruto, silently awaiting for his answer.

"Eh?" Naruto was taken aback by the sudden question that Sakura had given him. His mind was still trying to process the question that was asked. It was as if that no matter how many times he repeated the question in his head, he couldn't bring himself to understand what it meant.

"How do you feel about her?" Sakura repeated her question again, patiently waiting for his answer. She wanted to know… even if somehow… she already knew the answer.

Naruto couldn't help but lower his head, looking at he floor. "I… I… uh―I…" Naruto sighed when he knew that he wasn't going to get anywhere if he kept on stammering, and not just say what he wanted to say. With a low and uncomfortable voice, he answered, "I really like her… very much."

Sakura couldn't help but smile as she heard this. She was right afterall. Well, there wasn't any doubt that Naruto really had feelings for her best friend. It was quite obvious that only a dense person wouldn't realize it. She didn't want to admit it, but her best friend was quite a dense person.

But still… she was happy for her.

_I'm going too soft―and insane._

"But I don't know! Does she like that Sai more than me!? It seems like it! She's always with him!" Naruto sobbed comically. "Hinata-chan hates me!!" He quickly and carelessly grabbed Sakura's shoulders once more and tried shaking her until his hysterics had seeped into the tiny fabric of her clothing (if that were even possible). He didn't take as long as before in shaking her and stopped after a couple of seconds. "She never liked me, did she!" Naruto cried.

_And I thought he was becoming serious,_ Sakura thought with a sigh. Here she was, thinking that Naruto actually had a more… human and emotional side, but then averts back to his normal obnoxious self. He was emotional, yes, but he was **too** emotional. _Yup, that was stupid of me to think that he was even serious about the things that he said._

"What does Hinata-chan say about Sai? What does she say about me?" Naruto continued to ask breathlessly. Naruto wouldn't waste any time, when it came to his precious 'Hinata'. It was just his way of expressing his… 'feelings' for her.

Who knows how he really feels about her?

Was it…

Obsession?

Or…

Love?

_These two really are a hopeless case,_ Sakura thought flatly. She sighed in defeat. Oh well, what could she do? They were both dense, which would mean that they're relationship wouldn't escalate to more than 'friends' if nothing was done, and damn―nothing would be done if they kept being dense because of how dense the two of them were. _I'll just help them out… even just a little,_ Sakura decided. It wouldn't hurt, right. She was just giving the two of them a little push, or she would continue to watch Naruto and Hinata torture themselves over the most pathetic things.

"Not once did Hinata even talk about Sai because the one that she always talks about… is you."

Naruto's eyes widened at what he heard. What? That can't be…

"Me?" He asked, shaking his head in disbelief.

Sakura smiled. Nothing else was needed to be said. That was enough. Letting Naruto get through this rather shocking―not―information was enough.

Well… maybe not.

"You're so stupid," Sakura commented. For the first time, she didn't say it in such a vile and disgusted manner, but she was actually giggling softly as she uttered the insult that didn't exactly meant that way.

* * *

Walking had never failed to calm him down, or help him think. That way, he could reflect on his life, his crazy mother, his overachieving father, his hatable brother, and his **annoying**

fiancée.

Which reminds him…

That girl that he met during the festival. He had pink hair and emerald eyes… just like… his fiancée. They both possessed the same coloring of their hair and eyes. Could it be…? Could it be that they're one and the same person?

Nah, it couldn't be. Besides the fact that his fiancée was so damn unnoticable, and she looked like a fashion disaster, while the girl that he met during the festival was quite the opposite. Not only was she attractive, but she was looked very elegant. If you look more closely, however, you would notice that she wasn't **that **elegant.

It was impossible.

Still…

He wasn't contented. He needed proof. He needed to prove that the two of them weren't the same person. They were both different people, even if they does suspectively have the same coloring of hair and eyes. He didn't understand why, but he felt like he wanted to prove that he was right.

He wanted to convince himself.

He was brought back to reality when he noticed the presence of the person he didn't want to see walking towards him. They were both heading to opposite directions, but if they needed to go to the opposite direction, they needed to pass by each other first.

It was him. Arisugaki Sai. The new student in his calss for the first period. Why did he have to see him so soon? Was he here to ruin his day already? Not like that mattered. He could ignore the guy like always, but there was something that irks him when he was around this guy. Was it that fake smile that he always gave everyone?

Maybe it was.

He hated that fake and empty smile of his. It really seem to annoy him in ways that even he doesn't understand.

When Sai had finally noticed Sasuke walking towards him, his mouth formed the same usual fake smile that he gave everyone. However, this time, his smile didn't seem to be as empty like usual. It held a specific emotion in it… amusement, curiousity and even… mockery.

"Nice to see you again, Sasuke-san," Sai greeted formally.

It was like the incident that occurred a couple of days ago didn't even happen at all.

Sasuke's eyes narrowed into an unnoticable glare that Sai didn't seem to notice…

Or maybe…

He just ignored it.

* * *

"Haruno Sakura."

Sakura couldn't help but stood stiff, frozen at her spot when she recognized the voice that had called her name. Oh no. It couldn't be. She turned around and looked at the person that had called her name.

It was impossible.

_Ino_, Sakura thought as she watched her former best friend walking towards her from the other end of the hall. She just stood there, frozen in her spot, silently waiting for her to approach her.

She couldn't know…

She didn't know why, but her body refused to move. It was like the back of her mind was controlling the movement of her body. It seems like her innermost feelings wanted to wait for her best friend to come, wondering what Ino would want from her.

Does she know?

It was like she wanted to blurt out these secrets that she had kept from her best friend. She wanted to get the friendship that the two of them had lost back once again. It wouldn't be the same, but she wanted to be friends again.

Or was it curiosity that froze her from her spot. Does she know about the secret that she had been keeping from her?

Does she really…?

She couldn't.

Could she?

* * *

"Hn," Sasuke brushed past Sai and didn't return the greeting. He curtly continued to walk away as if he didn't hear a thing.

Sai couldn't help but chuckle when Sasuke completely ignored him. He then wondered, "What did I do that had made you so… angry?" He had a clue of what the reason was, and that just made him delighted to ask the question even more. He was curious on how Sasuke would answer it.

Sasuke remained silent and refused to reply.

Sai smirked, getting oddly amused by the silent treatment that the Uchiha was giving him. "Was it because you were… jealous?" He was already jumping to conclusions. Not that he cared.

Sasuke's steps ceased and finally stopped in the middle of the hall. This might just be the proof of one thing. Was he indeed… jealous?

Sai became interested. Somehow, he knew that Sasuke would react this way. No. Actually, he was just trying to mess with him. He just wanted to see him annoyed, and seemed that his attempts weren't in vain, after all.

However, it didn't seem that way.

When Sasuke turned around, he smirked arrogantly and stated, "Not really." There was a short pause. "I just don't like seeing your face."

It seems that the tables have turned, and the roles have been reversed.

* * *

She could hear the sound of her heart pounding in her chest. Her day… has just gotten worse. She was nervous, anxious and worried just by seeing the intent gaze that Ino was giving her. She felt trapped and cornered.

She wanted to get away… somehow.

_Ino_, she thought in a soft and guilty manner. She wasn't sure why she felt the pang of guilt in her chest, nor did she understand.

"Are you Haruno Sakura?" Ino asked with a frown, carefully inspecting every detail of the girl standing before her. She just wanted to make sure, but she still had some doubts.

Sakura reluctantly nodded after she was able to adjust her blank mind, "Yes." She wasn't sure if agreeing was the best solution. She didn't think so, but she had to tell her the truth. Well, not the entire truth.

"My name is Haruno Sakura Sohma… actually," she said before Ino could utter a reply. She tried her best to make up a lie. It wasn't entirely a lie. It was actually the truth. However, this information might give her a good chance of leading Ino away from her―even for just a while longer.

Ino sharply narrowed her gaze carefully, inspecting every inch of Sakura's features. This only made her even more nervous.

_This is awkward_, Sakura thought nervously. _Try to calm down. Calm down. _She told herself, trying not to keep her calm, confused expression.

She couldn't let Ino find out. She couldn't. She knew that it was for a selfish cause, but she didn't want Ino to know. She didn't need to know. It was her business, and she didn't want to drag Ino into it.

Even though they had been the best of friends in the past.

"You don't look like her," Ino crossed her arms, as her gaze loosened. She gave a dissappointed sigh. "You can't be her. That's impossible." She was now talking to herself out loud.

Sakura remained stunned, trying to register Ino's last statement. _What did she just say?_

"For one, I know that she would never dress up like a geek. That girl cares too much about how she looks," Ino shrugged, selfishly backstabbing her friend without a care in the world. Maybe it was annoyance because of how her _best friend_ had treated her as a greeting for the past two years. She just couldn't help but get pissed off.

There was another reason.

Ino watched Sakura's expression from the corner of her eyes. She still wasn't sure. This girl… was still very suspicious…

She was waiting for her to show that same expression of annoyance. If this was really her long lost best friend, she knew how she would act. Now the only thing left to do was wait… and watch.

Sakura had to use half of her mental energy not to give in to Ino's statement. That girl can be really sly sometimes. Damn. She had to remain calm. She can't show how much that statement irked her. Breathe in. Breathe out. However, remaining impassive can be such a difficult thing to do in this situation.

Ino couldn't help but become annoyed at how Sakura took her 'insult'. She didn't know what to think. Somewhere in her mind told her that the girl standing right before her was the girl she had been looking for, but the other part of her mind told her that that would be impossible.

She didn't know which one to believe. She wanted to believe that this girl was indeed the person she had been searching for to finally bring her long search finally to an end; however, the strong doubts in her mind only helped in making her more confused.

Was this her… or not?

Ino's doubts were eventually wiped out of her mind when Sakura finally responded to her question in the way she never would've expected.

"The word 'geek' is merely an understatement. It is a word that people use to classify the people that they think has went below their standard in which they think is 'cool'. To put it simply, they only give the nickname 'geek' to the people who are found uncool, unattractive and… weird." Sakura couldn't even understand what she said or what brought her to say that, but she was happy nonetheless. The was able to remain calm and not give in to Ino's taunts.

Ino was confused. This girl was indeed… weird. She didn't understand a word that she was saying. _What is she talking about?_

Was this girl **really** the person she had been looking for?

Was this really… the Haruno Sakura that she had known in elementary and junior high?

She didn't know anymore.

Sakura was almost there. She could bring Ino's attention away from her with just one more statement that would distract her.

With the best smile that Sakura could pull of within this awkward situation she was in, she asked innocently, "By the way, can you please tell me who you are? I don't believe that we've met before."

Ino was bewildered. She couldn't believe what this girl just asked her. Was she serious? "You don't… know me."

Sakura shook her head convincingly.

Either this gril before her was an excellent actress or she was just telling the truth. She still couldn't believe that this girl had no clue who she was. Oh well, not every girl was into women's fashion anyway. She couldn't blame this girl for not knowing who she was.

"I'm Yamanaka Ino, the daughter and the heir of the Yamanaka Fashion Industry. You're Haruno Sakura, aren't you?" Ino asked, her voice returning to its steady tone.

Sakura fought the urge to flinch when Ino said her name. How could she stay hidden when she still had the same name as her past life. Damn. This was impossible. "Yes," she nodded as calmly as she could. Inside, she wasn't as calm though.

"How were you able to enroll in this kind of school. Don't tell me you're a daughter of a famous—"

"Oh―no―no! I was only able to enroll here at Konoha High because of a scholarship that I received from the school. I received a scholarship that would ensure that I graduate in this school." She tried to go on with the flow and just state the speculation that her schoolmates had about her. It was more believable and it was easier for her. They all believed in it anyway. It would be something that Ino might actually believe in.

_Scholarship, huh?_ Ino thought skeptically She didn't buy it. She didn't know why, but she didn't buy it.

_Please―please―don't ask me any more questions!_ Sakura pleaded mentally. She didn't know how long she would be able to keep this up. She knew it wouldn't be long until she would run into a dead end.

"Funny that you have the same name as **her**," Ino stated, her suspicions slowly flooding back to her. She wanted to know for sure.

"We might just have the same name. It might be rare, but people having the same name is still very common these days," Sakura's heart was beating loudly in her chest. She wanted to run away. She just wanted to run away.

_I doubt that its just a coincidence of two people having the same first and last name._ Ino's suspicion just went up to a whole new level. _Does she think I'm stupid?_

"Really? You might be right." Ino shrugged, pretending to believe what Sakura had said. She wasn't giving up though. She was going to corner her, and she knew **exactly** how to do it.

"What school did you go to before? I mean―what junior high school did you go to?"

Sakura was taken aback. She never expected Ino to ask that question. She wasn't prepared for it. She didn't know what to answer. Time was ticking and her innocence was quickly going down the drain. If she didn't respond fast, Ino would caught her.

It would be game over―right there and then.

_Somebody please―save me!_ Sakura whinned desperately in her thoughts. It would be unwise to respond if all that would come out of her mouth would be incoherent stammering of too many words running through her brain. All of it, trying to give her the answer she was searching for.

She needed a quick and believable answer―now.

"Ino."

The two girl's undivided attention was immediately bought by Sasuke who was standing at the corner of the hallway. Suspicions were forgotten. The feelings of nervousness seemed as if it didn't exist.

What was he doing here?

_Sa… Sasuke…_ the thought of his name alone made her feel relief. It was merely a coincidence, but for the first time, she was grateful for his presence.

"Sasuke-kun? What are you doing here?" It was as if Ino had completely forgotten Sakura's presence because of Sasuke's intrusion. Her attention was now only focused on him―and only him. It was like she forgotten sakura was even there

Infatuation was really a powerful thing afterall.

The sounds of steady footsteps were heard as Sasuke walked towards them. This confused Ino and made Sakura unknowingly nervous.

Why exactly was he here?

"I need to talk to you… Ino." He said impassively, making Ino's eyes widen.

Ino couldn't believe it. She remained silent, too shocked to utter a response.

Sakura was downright shocked.

_Ino? Am I missing something here?_ Sakura thought skeptically.

What was going on here?

Feeling as if she was delaying the two's future **private** conversation, Sakura decided that it would be the best time to leave. "Ah… anyway―nice to meet you again, Ino-san. I'll see you around." She didn't want to get in their way. Oh no. That would be utterly rude. If they need privacy, she was willing to give them privacy.

She awkwardly shifted her body to leave, but at the last minute, she looked up at her fiancée's face unexpectedly. He was actually looking at her right at that very moment, recognizing her presence for the first time. Before she could break the unwanted eyecontact, Sasuke's lips quirked into a small smirk that made her heart skip a beat.

Was he making fun of her?

That didn't matter. She didn't want to think about that right now. The top priority at this very moment was to get out of here before Ino recovers from her short term memory loss. That wouldn't be good.

"Ja… ja ne…" Breaking the eye contact that the two of them held, Sakura lowered her head and looked at the ground, and walked away. The minute that she turned around, heat rose up to her cheeks and her heart sounded like it was running away from something―so restless and quick.

What was this feeling?

Unconsciously, she brought her hands to her face and rested her palms on her flaming cheeks. She had one question in mind: why was she blushing?

She just couldn't take that smirking face out of her mind. It seemed as if it was carved on stone. She felt… embarrassed.

* * *

It was only after Sakura's retreating figure turned at a corner that the two of them achieved the **privacy** that they wanted.

"This is a first. This is the first time **the **Uchiha Sasuke has ever wanted to talk to someone." Ino couldn't help but smirk proudly at this. "I must admit that I'm flattered that you wanted to talk to me. So… what is this about?" Ino asked, her proud smirk becoming more friendlier.

"I want you to do something for me," Sasuke stated coolly. It was as if he wasn't asking for a favor, nor was it like he was demanding her. It sounded more impassive than demanding.

Ino blinked and shook her head, thinking that she was hearing things. Did he just say… what she thought he just said? "Are you asking me for a favor?" Ino asked in disbelief. She shook her head, "Am I hearing things?"

Sasuke ignored her questions. He didn't need to answer them. It was pointless. "That girl that was with you earlier… Haruno Sakura."

All the humor on Ino's face disappeared when **that **name was spoken. "What about her?"

"I want you to dress her up for me."

"Why? Are you going on a date?" Ino laughed. She was jumping to conclusions, but she knew that Sasuke had other reasons for asking her this.

"No," he replied flatly. "I want to know… what she really looks like… behind that geeky façade of hers."

"So… it's a makeover," Ino smiled with her arms crossed.

Sasuke nodded.

"I am the right girl for the job, but… what makes you think I would do it?" Ino smirked confidently.

Sasuke returned the smirk. "Why wouldn't you?"

Ino shrugged, "You're right. How could I not do it when it was Uchiha Sasuke who personally came to ask the favor?" She smiled.

"Hn," Sasuke's smirk remained in place.

"Why not? It would sure be fun to see what's behind that geeky image of hers. What she's concealing underneathe. What she's hiding from the whole world. It's a mystery." Ino chuckled excitedly, delighted with Sasuke's idea.

That would be a great excuse to finally find out if **this** Haruno Sakura was really as innocent as she proclaims. It was the best way to find out…

… Who she really was.

The two of them sought for the same thing. She knew this. It was for different intentions, but they both had the same goal.

To uncover the mystery of who Haruno Sakura really was.

_**TBC**_

* * *

I'm now having mixed feelings in writing this fic ever since I got that review from the last chapter. That review really irked me, and I was discouraged in writing this fic and I had the urge to 'DISCONTINUE' this story.

To **Anonymous** (who didn't bother to write their e-mail or sign in for no apparent reason),

Wow, telenovelas and Korean/Taiwanese dramas influence my writing? Really. You know that really amuses me 'cause I've never watched telenovelas ever since I left the Philippines when I was 12. I really should give myself a price. I couldn't believe it. Am I psychic?

Really? My characters' are OOC? Maybe, you've been watching too many telenovelas and fanfiction that your brain can't even distinguish how each of the Naruto characters act. I really should buy you a Naruto manga because you seem confused.

You didn't even leave your e-mail address or signed in. I don't know if you're just a plain coward that just blatantly expresses your feelings about AU fics in general just so you can things off your chest.

If you don't want to reply back, then I will disregard this review and delete it, since flames, or rather, 'constructive criticisms' that aren't signed are not worth my time. If you can't back up your words without having a decent conversation with me, then this review is nothing but words of trash and I will gladly throw them in the garbage bin.

Have a nice day,

pei-chan

**

* * *

S/A/N: **Note that I tolerate flames even if you review how bad my grammar or writing in general is, but never―as in never―compare my writing to anything else, whether it's another fic, telenovelas or whatever. Everyone's writing is different from others and I respect that. That's why I believe that comparing my writing to another author who has a very different writing style than mine is pointless. My writing will never be the same to another author's so don't compare it because it will only piss me off. I don't want my writing and fanfics being compared to anything, or else, I will discontinue the fanfic that is being criticized.

Call me mean or cruel, but I won't waste my time writing something that will only be compared to something else just to put my fic down. No, I will not tolerate it.

I don't want to be mean, so to the readers who are interested, here's the preview of the next chapter.

**

* * *

Chapter 17―Plan A**

"What about… Haruno Sakura?" Tsunade said carefully, getting interested in the topic.

"Who is she?" Ino asked, getting straight to the point.

"What?" Tsunade frowned, not really understanding Ino's question the way she thought she should.

"Where does she live? Why is she in this school?" Ino continued to ramble, asking different types of questions about Haruno Sakura.

"Why ask me? You can just ask Haruno Sakura. I can assure you―"

"She's hiding something," Ino interrupted Tsunade from finishing her sentence. She was getting annoyed that the principal would just dismiss her like that.

Tsunade's face slowly turned away. "What makes you think that I would know anything?" She eyed Ino from the corner of her eye.

"You're the principal of the school―of course you would know!" Ino narrowed her eyes. Annoyance shifted into irritation. "Who… is she?" Ino asked slowly and intently. She wasn't curious about Sakura's identity, she was actually suspicious of her.

**

* * *

F/A/N: **Reviews please! I think this is the best time when I really need your support. I want to know if you readers really want me to continue with this fic, or am I just wasting my time?**

* * *

Updated: **June 3, 2007


	17. Plan A

**Engagement On Hold**

**Summary:** (AU) Uchiha Sasuke is Konoha High's reigning prince. Haruno Sakura is…? Who is she again? What happens when the guy everybody knows finds himself engaged to the girl nobody knows?

**Genre: **Romance/Humor/Drama

**Pairings:** Sasuke/Sakura, Naruto/Hinata, Itachi/Sakura (What's wrong with me? I don't really know.)

**Author: **pei-chan

**Beta-reader:** Ruru Kitsuneko

**Disclaimer:** Wouldn't it be nice if Sasuke and Sakura were really engaged in the Naruto series? Then again, that would only occur in our dreams… ne?

**

* * *

Chapter 17―Plan A**

A sigh escaped her sightly chapped lips.

Why did she agree to do this? Why did she agree to see him?

_**Flashback**_

"Your fiancée."

"Sasuke?" Sakura blinked at the sound of her fiancée's name coming out of her brother's mouth. He never usually talked about him. Well… he never did. She became curious. Why start now?

"He's interested in you."

"What?" She didn't understand. What did he mean?

"'_Mysterious_ pink haired' girl during the festival, huh? It definitely sounds like you," Gaara smirked, recalling the strange name Sasuke called his sister.

Sakura unconsciously blushed that wasn't left unnoticed by her older brother. _Oh that…_

"So, do you like him?" Gaara asked simply, watching her carefully.

"Uh…" Sakura's voice was being restrained by her throat. She couldn't respond.

"So you **do **like him," Gaara concluded with a smirk.

"NO!" Sakura immediately protested. It was an automatic response that she had found her voice. "That's not it… I… I don't…" she shook her head every now and then. She just didn't know how to deny it. Why couldn't she deny it? It was really easy before. All she had to say was those three words: 'I hate him'.

Why couldn't she do it now?

"He said that he wanted to see you," Gaara said with his voice remained it's even and calculated tone.

He wanted to see her… She could feel her heart thumping with uneven beats. She couldn't believe what she just heard. He actually wanted… to see her… Why though…? Why would he want to see her?

"He wanted to see me? Why?" She asked breathlessly. The essence of happiness within her small voice was eveident enough for Gaara to notice.

"Why don't you go and find out," Gaara suggested.

**_End of Flashback_**

Now here she was, walking towards the location of their last meeting: Kyoshi Park. This was the place where their last meeting turned into a great misunderstanding. That made her remember something… she slapped him. She remembered slapping him right before leaving him.

It was such a _wrong_ way to say goodbye to a person.

She felt bad. She wanted to apologize. Walking out of their conversation was bad enough, but slapping him on the face beforehand was even worse. With a breathful sigh, she quickened her pace. The least she could do was to arrive at their meeting place on time. She need not try to make it there on time, since the two of them hadn't exactly set up a time when they would meet each other anyway.

Their third meeting would now depend on luck.

* * *

He knew this was a bad idea.

How could he have been so stupid to actually think that Gaara would tell that **girl** to meet him again? He should've thought of the possibility that the girl might not even want to see him because of how he treated her during their last meeting. She was right. He made some selfish speculations thinking that he knew her as well as he thought.

There was no chance… She wouldn't come anyway. He had just tried to fool himself that she would.

With a soft and low sigh, he turned around, thinking that it was time that he left, and that was when he saw her…

She was standing there with a startled look on her face. In a matter of seconds, Sasuke was able to mask the same startled expression that was reflected on his face moments ago.

He couldn't believe it.

She actually came.

She gripped her hands tightly on her red mini skirt, crumpling the smooth and small fabric. The nervousness was getting to her. He was right there… standing in front of her, yet she didn't know what to say. _Sasuke…_

The way he was looking at her made her want to just turn around and run away, but… she couldn't do that. She had used all her will power to abide his request and see him again. She wanted to make things right.

"I… uh… I…" she shifted her gaze from the floor, to one side to the other, afraid of making eye contact with him. "I… er… I wanted to…"

Sasuke had his own problems. He wanted to apologize, but the words just won't come out of his mouth. It was a simple two word sentence… yet, it seemed an impossible task for him. His pride was getting in the way.

"Go out with me," he abruptly demanded.

Talk about a new way of apologizing.

Sakura couldn't believe what she was hearing. What? What did he say? _Did… did he just ask me on a date? _She wanted to gawk in shock, but she knew that it would be rude, so she kept her mouth shut, and just let the stunning information seep in her malfunctioning brain.

When she was actually able to convince herself that she had heard and understood his words completely, a small smile slowly formed on her lips. She had to mask her happiness though, since this might be the only chance she would be able to do this.

With a blank face she replied, "No."

_No?_ Sasuke couldn't help but get annoyed on the first rejected answer he had received from a girl (other than his fiancée, but she wouldn't count). He had never been used to being rejected, and he still didn't feel that this was the time to start. What the hell?

Before he could even demand for an answer, Sakura brought her hand right in front of his face with her index finger pointed upwards. "That's because I'll be the one taking you," she gave a gentle smile.

She knew for a fact that it wasn't her fiancée's character to ask anyone on a date, and had a feeling that he might have forced himself to ask her out as his own way of apologizing. She didn't want that. Maybe… if she was the one who asked, Sasuke might actually treat it like a real date, and not just an outing or a hangout of apology. She had a feeling that this might be the only chance she could ask him on a real date. It was a great risk, but she was willing to take it because… this might be the only chance she could talk to him and understand him.

She had one chance, and she had a feeling that she might not be able to even get near him like this ever again.

* * *

"A date… huh?"

She smiled once again. She couldn't help but keep thinking about her conversation with her fiancée two days ago. Miraculously, she was able to come to school even earlier than her older brother, Gaara, which had never happened before. He usually came to school about an hour and a half early. Man, who knows what that guy does at school so early in the morning.

Now, here she was with her elbows flopped down confortably on the railing at the rooftop, staring at space and drifting into her own thoughts. She didn't mind waiting an hour more for school to start.

Wait. What was this she was feeling? She was confused. Wasn't she supposed to hate and curse him every now and then, but why did she feel this way?

"_Go out with me."_

She didn't feel any ounce of annoyance even though she knew that he wasn't thinking. He wanted to apologize to her, but he didn't know how. Still… when he said that, she couldn't help but feel happiness welling up inside of her.

Why?

Why did she feel this way?

The deep breath that she was holding came out as a long and breathy sigh.

_What is wrong with me?_

She promised herself not to fall in love with him, but…

_Am I falling for you…? Sasuke…?_

* * *

"_That's because I'll be the one taking you."_

"A date… huh…?" Sasuke couldn't help but smirk at the turnout of events. For the first time, he was going out on a date… with a stranger no less. He had never gone out on a date before―even with his own fiancée.

"A date?" a voice asked with a muffled snicker. "What date?" The chuckling became more evident that Sasuke knew who the voice belonged to.

Oh great! He just had to hear what he said. Now, there was no chance for him to slip his way out of this. No way at all. Naruto would annoy him half to death, and he wouldn't rest until Sasuke told him what his words meant. Maybe if he ignored Naruto entirely, he would get tired and bother someone else.

Not even paying a glance towards Naruto, Sasuke continued to stare blankly outside the window, paying no heed to Naruto's obnoxious presence. Giving him the attention that he wanted would be too much work. It would be best to ignore him. And ignoring him was what he did.

"Oi, oi, are you listening to me, teme?" Naruto asked. He repeated the same question again and again and waved his hands in front of Sasuke's face to get his attention. All Naruto got was a cold shoulder. He wasn't even given much of a glance or a grunt… just silence.

Getting annoyed, Naruto grunted and a plan formulated in his mind. _This will make him talk._ "Everyone," everyone within the room stopped all their activities and gave him their attention. Normally, everyone would choose to ignore Naruto as much as possible, but since Naruto had been blessed with a loud voice it was impossible for everyone to do so. Contented with the attention he received, Naruto spoke, "Sasuke-teme is―"

THOOK!

He felt something hit his head. Looking at the ground behind him, he saw a pen lying comfortably on the ground. Choosing to ignore it, Naruto shrugged and turned back to the class. "As I was saying, Sasuke-teme is going―"

THOOK!

Something had hit his head once again. He stopped once again and looked down on the ground behind him. It was a pen… again. He thought that it was best to ignore it. Manipulating Sasuke to talk was more important than some pen hitting his head. The next time a pen would hit his head, he would ignore it until he could finish spreading a new rumor about his best friend.

"Anyway, I just wanted to announce that Sasuke-teme is finally going on a―"

THRUMP!

A huge force had hit Naruto's head and had succeeded in knocking him out of his feet. After a couple of seconds of groaning in pain, Naruto stood up without staggering along the way. When he was able to maintain his balance and shake off the blurry vision that the knock on the head had given him, he noticed what was thrown to him this time. It was… a desk.

What was worse… it was Sasuke's desk.

Sasuke stood at where his desk used to occupy with an impassive look on his handsome and smug face. "Oops, my hand slipped."

Naruto's face became red from anger. He had finally snapped, and Sasuke didn't even show any slightest fear or remorse. Sasuke's indifferent expression only made Naruto even more annoyed. "BASTARD! I'M GOING TO KILL YOU!"

Charging towards Sasuke, the two had been engaged into a destructive brawl that resulted to the destruction of the classroom: from desks, to chairs, to glass windows, to the board, and even the teacher's table. Oh dear. There would be a great possibility that first period would be cancelled for today.

Shikamaru stood up from his seat, not wanted to get involved with the destructive argument that Sasuke and Naruto had. "I'm out of here," he said as he slowly made his way to the door.

"Ah… please stop… Naruto-kun… Sasuke-san," Hinata tried to stop the two from destroying the classroom even more, but her voice came out only as a small squeak. She gave a startled cry as she witnessed the glass window shattering into pieces and leaving sharp shards on the floor. She was scared that the two might inflict serious wounds on each other, but that can't be helped in this kind of situation now… can it?

"Leave them, Hinata. Right now, we need to get out of here if we don't want to be burried under flying desks." Kiba suggested calmly. This wasn't new for him. Since he knew and hung out with Naruto, he was used to his aggressive attitude and knew the precautions on how to get away safely.

"But… but…" Hinata didn't think that it was a good idea to just leave the two with the intent of inflicting pain with one another.

"Don't worry, they won't kill each other," Kiba assured. "Just hope that we would still have a classroom for class later," he sighed.

Hinata reluctantly nodded and followed Kiba out of the door. He took worried glances to the fighting duo every now and then. Maybe Kiba was right. It would be impossible to stop the two from fighting at this rate.

* * *

"Well look who it is…" Ami softly chuckled.

"Ino-chan! Long time no see!" Aki greeted with a kind smile.

"It's been a while since we saw each other!" Aya added with an enthusiastic chirp.

"Ah, Ami, I've been looking for you," Ino responded, ignoring Ami's two 'subordinate's' greeting. They were just followers that didn't have their own lives. Another term that could be used was 'lowlifes'. Yes, that was it. "I have a favor to ask you."

Ami arched an eyebrow. "Oh… what kind of favor?" She knew that Ino had been trying to distance herself away from her, and she had never asked her any favors. It wasn't like Ami wouldn't do it, but she never really took favor or requests without payment. Well, nothing was free in this world: to get something, something must be given in return.

"You know that girl named Haruno Sakura, right?" Ino asked.

All the sweetness on Ami's face vanished as **that** name was spoken. A disgusted frown was replaced. "What about her?"

"I want you to help me give her a makeover."

Ami laughed, and after a brief moment of laughter, she paused and responded with a blunt and impassive voice, "No."

"No?" Ino asked with a inquisitive frown.

"No," Ami repeated coldly. "A wilted flower will always be recognized as a dead and unattractive object―just like her. She cannot be fixed no matter how many times you try giving her a makeover. She would always be the same geeky person that everyone knows," she concluded with a snarl.

Ino couldn't help but agree. "That is true," she nodded, "But, wouldn't it be worth trying for Sasuke-kun's sake." Ino gave a confident smile.

"Sasuke-kun? What does he have to do with this?" Ami asked, half shocked and half confused.

"Oh, he has everything to do with this because he was the one who asked me to do it," Ino said calmly. She didn't seem to be offended at all about the fact that Sasuke was interested in another girl. No, that didn't really matter to her. What mattered to her was that Sasuke actually asked her of all people to give that girl a makeover. It meant that he acknowledged her skills. That was enough to make her content.

Ami was silent. She stared at Ino with a blank expression as if she hadn't heard a single word that Ino said. She immediately laughed. She thought of it as a joke. After all, it was impossible for the **great** Uchiha Sasuke to ask for any favors―let along favors that involved geeks.

However, when Ami didn't see a change in Ino's solemn façade, all the humor on her face was wiped clean. "What!" She couldn't believe it. That was impossible. How can that be…? He wanted to see what that **geek** really looked like? Her―of all people! Why was life so cruel? "That's not possible."

"You can shake your head or curse at me for all you want, but it won't change the fact that he just won't like you," Ino sighed, impulsively _mocked _her **friend**.

"Look who's talking," Ami sneered, "He's not interested in you either."

"Well… he did ask me to do him a favor," Ino pointed out.

Ami was getting more and more annoyed. Did Ino come here only to make fun of her because the **great** Uchiha Sasuke wasn't interested in her at any way at all. _Some friend,_ Ami mentally scoffed. "So why exactly are you telling me this?"

"I want you to help me." Regardless of Ino's distaste of asking Ami for favors, it had to be done. There wasn't anyone else who could do the task as quick as Ami anyway.

"Help you? Why do you even **think** I would give up some of _my _valuable time to help you?" Ami gave a disbelieving smirk.

"Since it's Sasuke that asked, won't this be a great time to show him how talented you are," Ino complimented with a confident smile.

The mention of Sasuke's name had changed everything. "I'm in," Ami said without a second thought. She would prove that she mas much better looking than that **geek**, and she knew that this would be the best time to prove that she was so much better than that geek, Sakura and even her own friend Ino.

Ino inwardly sighed in relief. Thank goodness this girl was so easy to bribe. Lucky her.

* * *

"What the―?" Sakura was practically gaping as she saw a demolished chair with chunks of wood littering the ground, a broken window with shards that glimmered like ice on the floor, desks turned over and some have even been split in half. "What happened here?"

Hinata was silent as she stood beside Sakura, fidgetting nervously as she looked at Naruto and Sasuke.

"What did you two do?" Sakura asked, making her question clearer than before.

Sasuke turned towards her and gave her a silent look.

Sakura met his gaze moments after, as she confusedly wondered why he was staring at her like this. It didn't take long for her to start tinting like a ripe strawberry. All the thoughts of reprimanding both Naruto and him were swept out of her mind, and all she could think about was…

"Ah would you look at that," a voice interrupted her trail of thought. Sasuke immediately broke the intense gaze he held with Sakura, as Sakura only looked up to see Kakashi looking at the disfigured door with mild interest. "Somebody had a party and they forgot to invite me―detention."

Naruto, Sakura, Hinata and Sasuke sweat dropped. Their sensei was really something when it came to his dry jokes. Really something.

"So… who was it?" All the dry humor in his voice disappeared only to be replaced with firm tone that definitely needs to be feared.

The four of them cringed at the coldness of their sensei's voice. It seemed like a detention alone wasn't in their sensei's mind for the punishment would definitely be much, much worse. It was like he was saying, 'Get ready. Since you're going to get me in trouble, I'll make you suffer twice the pain.'

Since Kakashi was someone who can be quite unpredictable, the preconception of the consequences of their actions seemed to make them even more nervous. However, if none of them spoke now, then they would all feel their sensei's wrath.

How could they get out of this fix?

Apparently, Sakura couldn't take it anymore and decided to blurt everything that she knew―with the help of Hinata's idea of what happened. "It was their fault!" She pointed accusingly at both Naruto and Sasuke, "It's because of their stupidity and their lack of control that they let their negative emotions get the better of them that caused them to trash the classroom carelessly."

"Sa… Sakura…chan…" Hinata was startled at her best friend's sudden outburst. She knew Sakura as the calm type who never gets other's problems to bother her, but she somehow seemed to be taking this _small _problem a little different.

Sakura knew that she was being out of line, but heck, being involved with the consequences because of what those two did was too much. She was patient enough to let the two of them bite each other's heads off in front of her without a care in the world, but they better not involve her with the consequences. The hell with them!

She didn't have the patience for this.

"You!" Sakura shouted at Naruto and Sasuke's direction that made Naruto cringe in fear, and Sasuke look at her calmly. "If you want to bite each other's head's off, do it in a place that we won't see you. I don't want to know your_ love-hate_ relationship!"

Naruto couldn't supress his snort when he heard this.

Sasuke only scoffed.

Love? Who said that they loved each other? All hell would freeze before that would ever happen.

"Go bother someone else with your problems! I don't want to deal with it." Sakura concluded with an exasperated sigh.

She wanted to give them a piece of her mind.

"Sakura-chan…" Naruto sniffled back the tears that were making his eyes blurry. He was hurt. Sakura's words had stung him―hard.

"Well, well, Uzumaki… Uchiha… since the two of you had a nice party in my classroom this morning, you better clean the classroom spotless before first period ends," Kakashi smiled, "Or else."

Naruto pouted not bothering to argue since it would only get him into more trouble, while Sasuke only acknowledged Kakashi's order with a, "Hn."

"As for you, Haruno, you should know better than to tell on your own classmates. I must say that I'm disappointed in you," Kakashi calmly shook his head, "As punishment, you'll also be responsible in cleaning the classroom until the end of the period."

Sakura wanted to protest, but she bit her tongue and chose otherwise. She didn't think that it would be the best idea… not with their sensei like this. He never raised his voice, but his threats can make anyone cower in fear. Truth be told, she was feeling nervous already with the way her sensei was acting. She buried these thoughts deep in her mind and focused on what her sensei was saying.

"The three of you will have to buy the necessary furniture that was destroyed in the classroom, and they better be in tomorrow, or you'll face some serious consequences, and let me tell you that it would be better you not knowing what it is." Kakashi started walking away from the class, not bothering to hear any protests that his students might have. Well, it's not like he would listen to them anyway.

"Enjoy a free period for today, because tomorrow you'll have twice as much work to do. And believe me, it would be twice as harder than usual. Be prepared." With that said, he vanished as he turned a left when he reached a corner of the hall.

The class let out the deep breath that they were holding. They were safe. The best part was that they didn't have to witness their sensei's 'scary' side.

Realizing that they have a free period for the day, students started to disperse from outside their classroom to go to the places where they want to go. When most of the students have left, Sai approached Sakura.

When Sakura noticed Sai's presence, she immediately glared at him in warning.

"I must say, your outburst was quite impressive. I never knew that you as a generous person who would get yourself into trouble when you did nothing wrong," Sai said with his usual eerie smile.

Sakura twitched in response, "You give me too much credit."

"Even though you wanted to pin the blame on someone else, in the end, you still took some of the punishment. Really―were you planning that all along from the very beginning?" Sai asked with a mocking smile.

It was obvious that he was making fun of her. He was really trying to piss her off―big time! It was working… slightly. "Are you trying to piss me off?" Sakura gave an innocent smile.

"What makes you say that?" Sai asked with masked innocence.

"Because that's what you always do―you sneaky bastard," Sakura glared at him distastefully.

"Please don't regard me like that. You wouldn't want me to refer you as a 'hag', do you now?" Sai asked, keeping his voice leveled.

Sakura remained silent as she watched Sai walk away. It was a good thing he did. She couldn't stand talking to him, neither stand in the same place as him for too long. "I really can't stand that guy," she muttered with gritted teeth under her breath.

"Sakura-chan," Naruto whined that made Sakura turn her annoyed expression to him. Apparently, her annoyance for Sai was still present when Naruto started talking to her. Naruto sniffed, a bit frightened at how Sakura was looking at him. "You hate me, don't you, Sakura-chan?" Naruto pouted like a hurt little puppy.

Sakura wasn't in the mood for this. The essence of Sai's mocking words was still trailing off in her mind, making her annoyed at anyone who would dare talk to her at this very moment. Sadly, Naruto didn't know this. "Not now, Naruto," she said his name with a sense of murderous intent that would definitely be feared.

Naruto gulped nervously. "I'll… er… go and clean up now," he said quickly, not wanting to be the victim of Sakura's wrath.

Hinata, sensing her best friend's strong negative aura, cowered in fear. "I'll… I'll go and help him," she laughed nervously, and quickly followed the blond boy inside the destroyed classroom.

Sakura sighed. Great. More problems for her to deal with. She didn't need another one._ There goes my allowance for the month,_ Sakura drawled in her thoughts.

A single step snapped her out of her thoughts as she looked up to see her fiancée staring at her again. Really. Could he just cut it out with the staring?

She crossed her arms, earning herself a strict posture. "I have to buy furniture for your mess," she groaned. "Great," she drawled as she rolled her eyes nonchalantly. "You better pay me back twice for the trouble that caused me in getting the two of you out of that fix," Sakura glared at Sasuke, slightly softer than normal. She turned away from him, and looked at the faraway sky, still focusing her attention on him. "You owe me―"

A gasp left her lips because of the strange occurrence that occurred afterwards.

Taking a step towards her so that he was now standing right in front of her, Sasuke wrapped one arm around her shoulders and turned his head so that his lips were inches away from her ear. "Thanks," he said in a soft and husky whisper that gave a jolt to her spine, making her quiver.

Moments later, he lowered the arm that was wrapped around her shoulder back to his side. He gave her a confident smirk and walked away and into the messy classroom.

Sakura was awestruck. What the―! Did he just…? Did he really…? No… way… Sakura could feel her face growing hot. Wait? Is she blushing? She could feel herself blushing… but with only that simple stunt? She grew tense. Was she really that easy… or was it because…

_How can he make me feel like this so easily?_

Shaking her head to regain her usual composure, she took a deep breath and thought with a conclusion, _He's teasing me again!_

_Damn him!_

* * *

"No! You can't come in there!" Anko's voice echoed from outside the Principal's Office.

Tsunade was pissed. Who had come to bother her now at a time like this? The stack of documents that she had to read, sign and file just to run the school was already eating so much of her time. And then there were the problem students that she had to lecture practically **everyday**! Everyday was becoming a routine now: get to work, do morning announcements, start reading documents, lecture students, eat lunch, throw unnecessary documents, sign important ones, give Anko the documents that had to be filed and go home. Oh yeah―she shouldn't forget the part of the day where students would come barging in her office demanding more power, respect and special treatment. Those spoiled brats!

She wanted to have her own free time. She had enough problems to deal with.

Her speech was already planned in mind, since she had always said the same thing to the people who chose to bother her work. However, it seemed as if her speech would have to be put aside because of an important matter at hand.

Tsunade was surprised at seeing the heir of the infamous fashion industry world wide.

"Yamanaka Ino, what brings you here?"

Ino closed the door before walking closer to the Principal's desk. "I'm here because of a matter about Haruno Sakura."

Tsunade's eyes shifted uncomfortably. Putting her pen down, she focused all her attention towards the female student inside her office. "Haruno Sakura, you say?"

* * *

She sighed. Thank goodness school was over. Cleaning all of those broken chairs, wiping all the dust around the room, and carefully picking up all of those shattered pieces of glass was just tiring. It was a relief that her fiancée actually helped in cleaning the classroom, since it was never in his character to clean a demolished classroom.

It was a relief that Hinata didn't have practice today, so she could go home early. She didn't want to see her fiancée any more than she needs to. Somehow, she was afraid that seeing him might only cause even more confusion to her feelings. She was afraid that she might…

… fall in love with him.

"Haruno Sakura."

She looked up, hearing the sound of her name being called. She saw Watanabe Ami with her lackeys Aya and Aki. Ah, the 3A-gly Group, what nice timing. She wanted to curse herself for not paying attention. She was a couple of feet away from the door, but she was too preoccupied with her thoughts to notice the people around her.

Great. Could things get any better?

"Haruno, you're coming with us whether you like it or not," Ami said with her eyes glinting threateningly.

"Oh," Sakura replied sardonically, raising an eyebrow.

Yes, things just got even better for her.

* * *

"What about… Haruno Sakura?" Tsunade said carefully, getting interested in the topic.

"Who is she?" Ino asked, getting straight to the point.

"What?" Tsunade frowned, not really understanding Ino's question the way she thought she should.

"Where does she live? Why is she in this school?" Ino continued to ramble, asking different types of questions about Haruno Sakura.

"Why ask me? You can just ask Haruno Sakura. I can assure you―"

"She's hiding something," Ino interrupted Tsunade from finishing her sentence. She was getting annoyed that the principal would just dismiss her like that.

Tsunade's face slowly turned away. "What makes you think that I would know anything?" She eyed Ino from the corner of her eye.

"You're the principal of the school―of course you would know!" Ino narrowed her eyes. Annoyance shifted into irritation. "Who is she?" Ino asked slowly and intently. She wasn't curious about Sakura's identity; she was actually suspicious of her.

Tsunade turned her head back, and looked at the determined look in Ino's eyes. She closed her eyes for a brief moment and reopened them again.

She had made her decision.

* * *

"You brought me… here…?" She didn't know whether she should be confused or afraid. Maybe she should laugh… or maybe she was being downright stupid at the moment. Why did they bring her here? She had no idea―at the moment.

Why bring her at a parlor?

Wait. Could it be?

Sakura's eyes widened.

No way.

"Welcome, to my family's Beauty Spa," Ami introduced boastfully.

Sakura took notice of Ami's boastful attitude. She was the same as always. She had never expected that she would have a spa… like this.

Looking at the small building located, Sakura couldn't help but snort at how small the place looked compared to all the buildings downtown. It looked like a spa for ordinary people. She knew she should be insulted that Ami would bring her in her family's worst spa. She had been to the Watanabe Corporation's biggest spa, and this place was definitely nothing compared to that.

Honestly, can't this girl get any more biased?

Wait. She always had been.

There was no point in doubting now.

Might as well just play along for now.

"You're bringing me to a place like this," Sakura said with a sour face, knowing that she would be offending Ami's feelings. Not that she cared. Ami only had three, to annoy, to boast and to scream like a banshee. Sakura only added the latter out of a whim. Well, she was just stating the facts.

"Honestly, would you even think that you deserve the honor in stepping inside the official Watanabe Corporation Spa? You should be grateful that I even brought you to a branch of my family's spa." Ami stated arrogantly with great confidence.

"I've seen better," Sakura countered.

"The only one that the likes of you would see are dirty, small and low class ones," Ami shot back brusquely.

Sakura scoffed, "I'm out of here."

Aki and Aya immediately blocked Sakura's way.

"Where do you think you're going?" Ami asked from behind her.

Sakura could just imagine that smirk on her face. Ami really hated her that much, eh?

She needed to get out of here.

Sakura turned around and sighed. "Why are you so desperate?" There was no point in trying to escape when it would only lead to violence. "What exactly are you going to get out in giving someone like _me _a makeover?"

Ami shrugged, "The pleasure in proving how ugly you really are." She smirked triumphantly. She had the upper hand now. There was no way that Sakura could get away. This time, she was going to win.

"Right," Sakura rolled her eyes. "Good luck with that."

"You bitch! You think you're so tough!" Ami growled, angered by Sakura's calm attitude. "Get her!"

When Aki and Aya were running towards her to grab her, it was then that Sakura suddenly realized the situation she was in. _Oh shit!_ What did she just do? Intimidating Ami was a bad idea―a really bad idea!

If Ami found out what she really looked like, she would be dead. Ami would definitely spread the news, and those two years of hiding would be for nothing. She had been careless, and not thought things through. Damn. It was too late to think of a solution to this problem now. There was no way she could escape. Oh, she could almost see the shocked looked on Ami's face.

"Sakura-san?"

Her dilemma had been forgotten as Sakura, along with Ami, Aki and Aya heard the sound of the door closing along with a new voice that interrupted them from finally uncovering the secret that Haruno Sakura was hiding from them.

"Peitsuru-san?" Ami called out of confusion. "What are you doing here?"

"Who would have thought that you would be here, Sakura-san? Oh my, you look ridiculous!" Peitsuru clamped her mouth with her hand when she gasped so suddenly. "Oh dear, you had finally come to a realization that you need a makeover and came to a salon, how wonderful!" Peitsuru exclaimed, completely ignoring Ami's statement.

Sakura sweat dropped. Honestly, does this woman actually have to insult her out in the public? Does she have no shame?

Peitsuru walked towards Sakura, passing by a perplexed Ami along the way. "Why don't you just come to my place, and I can fix you up no problem?" She smiled, taking notice of Sakura disgusted expression. "Forget about going to an amateur place like this, onee-chan and I can make you look like a peacock―no problem!"

Sakura raised an eyebrow, clearly offended by Peitsuru's simile. A peacock? How dare she even compare her to a bird! "Excuse me?"

"Ahem," Ami cleared her throat, trying to get attention.

"It would be just like last time." She looked up in the sky with a grin, thinking about the past events that had happened during her job within the Haruno household. "Man, I'm good," she murmured to herself.

"Ahem," Ami tried again, to no avail.

"You just like the amount of money that my mother's giving you," Sakura deadpanned.

Peitsuru faked a coy look with a laugh, "What makes you say that?"

"AHEM!" Ami practically yelled, but at least she finally got the attention that she wanted. Sakura and Peitsuru were now looking at her, their conversation interrupted.

Aki and Aya shared the same thoughts as her, but it was Ami that asked it out loud. "How do you two know each other?"

"I'm her personal stylist―along with Ruru-nee-chan of course!" Peitsuru laughed once more. She was quite proud of her profession.

Ami gaped in shock. "That **cannot **be true. A professional like you being a personal stylist for _**her**_! That―that's impossible!"

"Well unlike you that have to pay to get everything that she wants, I have friends to help me. Peitsuru-san is a friend who styles my hair for free." Sakura could feel it. Her luck was finally turning around. Now, how to freak up Ami to get her out of her case…?

Peitsuru's shock stricken expression said otherwise. "What? I would never―!"

"So I believe that I wouldn't need a makeover with your amateur Beauty Spa. It would be an insult to Peitsuru-san over here."

"That's right!" Peitsuru's thick head made her forget that she never does anything for anyone for free―even to her sister. When nothing else matters other than money… that would make a true businesswoman.

"You are not leaving until I see how ugly you truly are!" Ami yelled out in public. Ah, she was really fond of embarrassing people out in public. It would always work every time.

"If you're really desperate to see someone ugly, look at your picture back then before you had a nose lift. I'm sure you'll find that picture quite repulsive," Sakura shot back, enjoying in seeing Ami freaking out.

Ami opened her mouth, letting out a silent scream. Sakura along with Peitsuru was already out of sight when Ami let out a shriek that was heard by everyone within her vicinity. How dare she! How could she know such a valuable information that she had kept from everyone? She ignored the voices of Aki and Aya, knowing that they were still adjusting with the new information that they got. They never knew about it and Ami was planning for it to stay that way. But that… that…

_THAT BITCH IS GOING TO PAY FOR THIS!_

Ami would make sure of that! No one messes with Watanabe Ami and gets away with it.

* * *

Sakura was in her room, exhausted from today's events. She couldn't believe that Ami would actually do such a thing. Everyone was getting suspicious of her, and it would only be a matter of time before her past resurfaces again. There were times that she just wanted to live an honest life. She wanted to stop lying to everyone, but she couldn't do that.

She had already started it. It was too late to stop now. She had no other alternative. If she would be found out in the future, then she would deal with it then, but for now, all she could do was to keep lying to everyone.

With her mind swimming out of her consciousness, she didn't even realize that she was walking towards the calendar that hung on her wall. February 14. It was this Saturday, and Sakura was also delighted that their date was actually on a Valentine's Day.

Valentines Day. Their date was on Valentine's Day? The thought of this made Sakura's heart race. How ironic? Who would have thought that Sakura would have her first date with Uchiha Sasuke on a day like that?

She smiled. She was excited. She couldn't wait. "Two more days left. Until then… Sasuke…"

It was unknown to her that perhaps… she might actually be falling in love with him.

* * *

"Is Haruno Sakura in this classroom?"

"Ah, Anko-san, what brings you here?" Kakashi asked, not expecting a visit from the secretary. It was quite rare for her to come over to his class, and valued her limited visits.

"I came here for Haruno Sakura. She is wanted in the Principal's office right now," Anko responded. She didn't sound like she was here for pleasantries.

"Is it so important and secretive that you didn't just send a message through the P.A.?" Kakashi questioned. It baffled him that Anko personally came to his classroom to fetch the girl. This had never happened throughout his teaching career in Konoha High.

Anko glared at him, and thus, shutting Kakashi up. "It's confidential," that was all she needed to say to make Kakashi understand.

Kakashi nodded, "Very well… Sakura-san."

Sakura immediately stood up from her seat.

"Please follow Anko to the Principal's office," Kakashi instructed her calmly and coolly, that Sakura couldn't even protest. She nodded and walked towards the front of the classroom without a word.

She could see Naruto's confused gaze directed at her, Hinata's worried glace, and Sasuke's frown. She could hear the voices of her classmates. They were all talking about her. She was able to catch some of the things they were saying, others were muffled and she preferred it that way.

"_Oh, she is _**so **_in trouble now!"_

"_This is great!"_

"_Will she finally get expelled? Honestly, she doesn't belong here."_

"_Yeah! She never had and she never will."_

"_She definitely deserves to be expelled!"_

"_Thank goodness she's leaving!"_

It was easy to keep a straight face. She was used to her classmate's taunting, it didn't even affect her anymore. She smoothly walked out of the classroom with Anko following right behind her.

Hinata worriedly watched her best friend walk out of the classroom. What happened? Did Sakura do something? She hoped that this was all a misunderstanding. The secretary looked pretty serious. She hoped Sakura would be alright.

Yeah. She would be alright.

Besides, that was all she could convince herself this time.

Sasuke kept silent and kept glancing at the door through the remainder of the period.

* * *

"Come in."

Sakura gulped and opened the Principal's door. She couldn't lie to herself. She might be calm in the outside, but she was definitely shaking on the inside. Why would Tsunade want from her? She couldn't recall anything that would break the rules of the school. Well, except for that attempted kick that she directed towards Ami a couple of weeks ago, but that was a long time ago. Why act now?

Unless…

Deciding to get things over and done with and worry about them later, she walked toward Tsunade's desk, taking notice of Tsunade's keen eye, carefully watching her.

"You called for me Tsunade-dono."

"I did," Tsunade nodded. She sighed, earning a concerned frown from Sakura.

"Is there something wrong?" Sakura instantly asked.

Tsunade remained silent. She looked distantly on her desk, deep in thought. When she was finally through with sorting out her thoughts, she looked at Sakura once more, "I'm concerned, Sakura."

"About what?"

"Yamanaka Ino came by my office yesterday… asking all about you," Tsunade laid down her pen, adding an effect to the seriousness of their conversation.

"What?" Sakura could even barely whisper the word, as she stared at the principal wide eyed.

Tsunade sighed, "Sakura, I know I made a promise to you and your mother that I wouldn't say anything to anyone about your identity, but you should stop pretending and just let them know who you are. You would only hurt yourself if you keep this up."

Sakura didn't say anything.

"You don't need to prove to them that you―"

"It's not that…" Sakura uttered softly that Tsunade could've sworn that she could feel the sadness in her voice. It took all of Sakura's efforts to smile, despite knowing the negative possibilities that could happen in the near future. "It was never my intention to deceive them because I wanted to prove something to them."

"Then why? Why go through all this trouble? Why hide who you really are?" Tsunade asked.

Sakura laughed lightly, "I never did try to hide anything. I changed my look for a completely different reason, but maybe… I went overboard. Now, nobody recognizes who I am… not even my best friend."

"Why not just tell them who you are?" Tsunade was getting confused with whatever was going on with this girl's mind.

Sakura merely shrugged, "Why bother? It would be too much of an effort. If they can't recognize me for who I really am, then let it stay that way." Sakura looked out of the window, pausing for a while.

Tsunade took this time to analyze the girl standing inside of her office. The very first time she saw this girl enter her school, she immediately thought that she was different from most students. She got that right. Haruno Sakura had proven to be a girl who would be easily ignored, but that didn't bother her even the slightest. In fact, she actually loved the lack of attention she was getting. She was silent, but there was still a great shroud of mystery surrounding her.

"I only changed my appearance because I wanted to punish myself for doing something very cruel to a friend. I wanted to hurt myself… like how I hurt her, but maybe… when my own friends asked me "Who are you?" was the thing that hurt me the most," Sakura admitted, laughing at herself.

"Is that why…?" Tsunade started, but she was not able to finish her sentence when Sakura had cut her off.

"There would be no point in telling the truth to someone who doesn't want to know the truth. It would be best for them not to know. That way, they could have an excuse for hating someone they claim to never know."

"That's torture."

"No," Sakura contradicted calmly. "It just shows the truth… that the friends that claimed to be my friends were never my friends since the very beginning."

_**TBC**_

**

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A/N: **:fans herself: Oh my, its getting serious now. Now, at least you know a bit of Sakura and her 'mysteriousness'. It's shorter, but bare with me. I wasn't really into writing the first half of this chapter. I kinda lost my touch, so if it sucks, please bear with me.

Next chapter is the chapter you don't want to miss. Since many of you know that I update very seldom, so if you want to read the next chapter before anybody else, you know what to do.

**

* * *

Chapter 18―Identity**

"Yes, she is," Sakura could hear Ayame's voice echoing around the entrance hall. She couldn't see the unknown visitor for Ayame's mature figure was blocking the person from her sight. "Please, come in," Ayame stepped out of the way and let the visitor in.

And that was when Sakura had finally seen the unknown visitor. She almost thought she stopped breathing. No, it couldn't be. Why? Why was she here…?

_Ino…_

"Sakura-sama," Ayame greeted finally noticing Sakura's presence when she turned around. "Ino-san came here to see you."

Ino smiled, "Hello, Sakura."

"What's your name?" Sasuke didn't waste any more time. They had met three times, but he couldn't ask her name.

Sakura couldn't believe what she was hearing. What? She couldn't bring herself to turn around and look at him.

What did he just say?

**

* * *

A/N:** Two different previews for the same chapter. Sakura is trapped. What is she going to do now? Find out in the next chapter. I can assure you that the next chapter is definitely something you don't want to miss. Until next time!

**

* * *

Updated: **November 10, 2007

**

* * *

EDIT: **This chapter didn't seem edited until I peeked at it and was horrified at how much grammatical errors there were. It should be more decent in the eyes now.


	18. Identity

**Engagement On Hold**

**Summary:** (AU) Uchiha Sasuke is Konoha High's reigning prince. Haruno Sakura is…? Who is she again? What happens when the guy everybody knows finds himself engaged to the girl nobody knows?

**Genre: ** Romance/Humor/Drama

**Pairings:** Sasuke/Sakura, Naruto/Hinata, slight Itachi/Sakura and Shikamaru/Temari

**Author: ** pei-chan

**Disclaimer:** Wouldn't it be nice if Sasuke and Sakura were really engaged in the Naruto series? Then again, that would only occur in our dreams… ne?

**

* * *

Chapter 18**―**Identity**

"Good morning," Temari yawned, as she entered the kitchen, still not fully awake. Temari could barely even recognize Sakura as she cheerfully greeted "Good morning," and zoomed out of the kitchen door.

Well… that woke her up. Temari couldn't believe that Sakura was awake before her. Why was that girl so giddy this morning? She shook her head, puzzled by her sister's odd behavior and asked, "What was that?"

Ayame paused from her usual duties and smiled, "Sakura-sama is cheerful today. Something must've happened." She was glad to finally see Sakura happy. It had been a while since that happened.

"Maybe it's something that **will **happen," Kankuro joined in the conversation, stepping inside the kitchen behind Temari.

"What could possibly happen?" Temari asked, uninterested in the subject. She went over to the cupboards and searched for a glass. She went over to the refrigerator and took out the jug of milk.

Ayame gasped, earning the two siblings' attention, "Maybe, Sakura-sama was finally asked by her lover on a date." She clasped her hands together, entering her dreamy state… or rather… "They would go walk on the beach and proclaim their love to each other, and then, they would kiss under the setting sun," she sighed dreamily, "how romantic."

She was being delusional, thinking of cliché thoughts again.

_Walk on the beach… under the setting sun…? _Temari thought in bewilderment, _But it's in the middle of winter…_

Kankuro merely stared at her for a couple of moments and then finally responding bluntly, "Nah, never happening."

"Eh? How come?" Ayame's shoulders slumped, disappointed at the siblings' reaction.

Temari yawned groggily while pouring milk into her glass until it was almost full. "Sakura isn't really the romantic type of person," Temari said frankly.

"Ever since two years ago, she had never attracted anyone ever," Kankuro added plainly.

Well, it was true. With her present image, it would be a wonder how she could even attract the attention of Rock Lee who has been infatuated to her since the beginning of high school.

"Is that so?" Ayame muttered with great disappointment. She was hoping in seeing Sakura finally with a man who could make her happy just like in those traditional romantic shows. Two lovers living happily ever after had always been her type of stories. She really was a hopeless romantic.

"How 'bout you Gaara, why do you think Sakura's acting so strange?" Kankuro asked, noticing his younger brother walking in the kitchen towards them.

"Uchiha Sasuke." That was the only thing he said.

Temari choked at the liquid that she was trying to chug down her throat from the sudden information that made her eventually spit the milk when her throat refused to swallow the liquid down her esophagus. Thankfully, she turned around and was able to aim for the sink, so that the mess would be at a minimum. "What?" Temari was taken aback. Uchiha Sasuke? When did he get into this conversation? Since when was Uchiha Sasuke the reason for Sakura's happiness… unless…

Ayame looked at the mess that Temari made and sighed. It was an added bonus to her work load.

Kankuro looked at the sink, covered in milk with disgust. He cast his thoughts about his older sister's manners aside and went to the topic at hand. It was then that the thought struck him. "Don't tell me," Kankuro grinned, speculating the most obvious and predictable possibility that might have occurred. "Th―"

"I don't trust him," Gaara responded, cutting off Kankuro's next words.

Kankuro sighed. That wasn't even what he had in mind. Not even close.

Temari sweat dropped. And here she thought Sakura and Sasuke were finally…

Nah, that was impossible.

Or was it…?

* * *

Sakura was skipping happily down the hall, occupied with her thoughts. Today was the day. She was going on a date with Sasuke, and she couldn't help but feel as if nothing could ruin her day. Everything was going well. Only a few more hours and she would go out and meet him.

_Uchiha Sasuke and Haruno Sakura―going out on a date! _ She couldn't help but giggle. She never imagined it happening―not once ever since they got engaged. But now… she didn't know what to think anymore.

Smiling to herself, she continued to walk until she heard the doorbell ring. "Hm, who could that be?" Sakura asked to herself out loud.

She decided to head over to the entrance hall and find out for herself. After all, it wasn't like her perfect day could possibly be ruined.

"Yes, she is," Sakura could hear Ayame's voice echoing around the entrance hall. She couldn't see the unknown visitor for Ayame's mature figure was blocking the person from her sight. "Please, come in," Ayame stepped out of the way and let the visitor in.

And that was when Sakura had finally seen the unknown visitor. She almost thought she stopped breathing. No, it couldn't be. Why? Why was she here…?

_Ino…_

"Sakura-sama," Ayame greeted finally noticing Sakura's presence when she turned around. "Ino-san came here to see you."

Ino smiled, "Hello, Sakura."

She spoke too soon. Her luck had just turned a complete upside down.

Maybe her perfect day wasn't so perfect at all.

* * *

"_Sasuke-teme!"_

"What," Sasuke snapped, annoyed for being so called so early in the morning.

"_Let's go hang out today at the video arcade __this after__noon. This time, I'm prepared to beat your sorry ass and bring you down,"_ Naruto laughed enthusiastically, the thrill of finally beating Sasuke was getting to him.

"No," he responded quickly and simply.

Naruto hand twitched in annoyance. Sasuke had always been a stubborn bastard. It had always been a difficult task for Naruto to convince him, but this time, he had been prepared.

"_You do remember our little deal, don't you teme?"_ Naruto snickered.

"What deal?"

Naruto continued to snicker; _"I still can't forget that time where you kissed Sakura-chan in the hall. Hmm…" _Naruto thought for a moment,_ "Maybe you do like her.__ You should've kissed her on the lips instead. That would've been so much better.__"_

"I'm hanging up now." Sasuke didn't want to have this conversation. Naruto was at it again. He had never let go of that incident, and he couldn't help but regret what he did if it would only lead for him being blackmailed. It was a complete mistake and a stupid one as well.

"_Does that mean the deals off? Should I tell Sakura-chan?"_ Naruto inquired coyly, pushing Sasuke's buttons even though he shouldn't. He really loved ticking the bastard off.

"I'm still not saying yes," Sasuke replied, unfazed by Naruto's threat.

"_Okay then, I'll tell Itachi too. I bet he'll love to hear about it." _ Naruto tried once more, knowing that Sasuke would finally give in. He's definitely going to say yes now.

"I'm still not going with you," Sasuke deadpanned.

"_Eh?"_ Naruto was disappointed. He should've been able to convince Sasuke already. _"Why not?"_

"I have somewhere I need to go to," Sasuke simply said, not wanting to explain. He knew what Naruto would definitely say if he knew about Sasuke's 'date'. "Maybe next time," Sasuke added, hoping that Naruto would let it pass.

"_Is it __a__ 'date'?" _Naruto teased. _"I'm so proud," _Naruto sobbed comically. _"Sasuke-teme is finally growing up." _ He sniffed, _"You had finally out grown your homo―"_

The line has been cut when Sasuke had hanged up.

Naruto took the phone away from his ear and stared at it in shock. When realization dawned to him, Naruto became furious. "Ah―how dare he hang up on me!"

* * *

"Yamanaka… Ino…" Sakura could barely even say her name. She thought that her breath was caught in her throat.

Ayame noticed the odd behaviour that Sakura was showing that she couldn't help but ask, "Sakura-sama, is something wrong?"

"Huh?" It snapped Sakura out of it, but it seemed as though she didn't hear what Ayame asked of her.

"Oh, she's just really happy to see me." Ino cut in before Ayame could repeat her question. "Isn't that right, Sakura?"

"Uh… yeah," Sakura forced a smile, reluctantly agreeing. She didn't like were this was going.

Ayame remained silent, but gave Sakura a concerned glance.

"Wow, I never knew you had such a big place, Sakura. It's even bigger than mine. It reminds me of _someone_ I know," Ino commented as she looked around the entrance hall that was the size of her ballroom at home.

Sakura couldn't help but feel tense at this. Thankfully, it remained unnoticed by Ino.

Ayame, however, pretended to be oblivious to Sakura's sudden strange behavior. "Well, I better return to my duties, Sakura-sama. Have a fun stay Yamanaka-san." She bowed to the two girls and exited the entrance hall, leaving the two alone.

Sakura cursed mentally. She didn't want to be alone with Ino. _Ayame, why did you have to leave me… damn it._ She watched Ino looking around the entrance hall with keen interest. Why? Why did she have to come today of all days? She never thought that Ino would go through all the trouble of even going to her own mansion. _Is she that desperate? _ Sakura growled mentally.

But that didn't matter. Ino was here now, and there was nothing she could do about it.

"Really, and here I am hearing everyone saying that you were only able to apply to Konoha because you were a scholar student. But wow," Ino laughed, thinking the irony of it all, "You seem to be richer than more than half of the student body."

"Ino…"

It was then that Ino finally looked at Sakura in the eye, waiting for her statement.

"Why are you here?"

Ino smiled, not bothering to respond.

Why? Why did it come to this?

* * *

"Wow, your room is huge!" Ino gasped, looking at Sakura's simple and well kept room. "You seem to be a very neat person, Sakura."

"Well… you could say that," Sakura nervously laughed, not too fond of the compliment.

Ino plopped down on Sakura's bed, making herself comfortable. "Your place is amazing. It makes me wonder why you don't just talk back to Ami. You have the money to back you up. You can even get supporters on your side if you just reveal your high standard and wealth."

"Is wealth everything?" Sakura automatically asked firmly, contradicting Ino. Sakura was only able to realize what she said when she noticed Ino's intense gaze. Not knowing what to say to disregard her previous statement/question, Sakura decided to change the subject instead. "You don't need to be so amazed Ino-_san_, isn't your family wealthy as well?" She couldn't hide the blank tone of her voice, still irritated by Ino's compliment.

"My family is well of, or as you might call it―rich―but we're not wealthy," Ino responded casually. She knew that Sakura wasn't in the mood to talk to her right now, but she still pretended to be oblivious, and ignored it. Deciding that it was time to change the topic of their conversation, Ino asked instead, "You and Sasuke seem to be awfully close. What's your relationship with him?"

Sakura couldn't bring herself to respond. Were the two of them really that noticeable when they were together? She took a second to reminisce on their encounters at school. They way they argued, talked, looked, or even glared at each other made her realize, yes, they definitely stood out in front of everyone. Great… just great.

She couldn't tell Ino that she was engaged to him. It would be the end of her not so peaceful life in high school. She didn't need a riot just because of her relationship with the guy, thank you very much. It was too much attention―too much stress.

She turned away, and stumbled out, "I-It's complicated."

"Sasuke is not the type of guy that would just approach a girl, and yet he goes to you as if you've known each other since you were kids. Are you two childhood friends?" Ino asked, slightly annoyed at the observation that she made.

"No. We're merely acquaintances," Sakura replied, trying to convince Ino and lead her into another direction.

Ino looked unconvinced, but eventually dropped the topic, knowing that she wasn't going to get anywhere.

"Why? Why do you doing this?" Sakura asked. She didn't want to extend this matter any longer. Ino was already making it hard for her to lie, and she couldn't pretend that she didn't notice Ino's motive any longer. "I already told you, I'm not the one who you are looking for."

Why? Why did she have to be so persistent? Why couldn't she just give up and move on just like a normal person would? It would sure be a lot easier for the two of them if she did.

Sakura couldn't finish her trail of though, when Ino forcefully grabbed her shoulders and turned her towards her.

"You are her! Why do you have to keep doing this? Why are you lying to me?" Ino shouted painfully, making Sakura frozen with guilt.

Sakura's body remained stiff in Ino's grip. She could only let her shake her shoulders, when her body refused to do anything to stop her. What? What was happening?

"She had the same name as you, Haruno Sakura. I met her during second grade. She was the usual unpopular girl that popular girls picked on. I was one of the popular girls, but I defended her. Watanabe Ami didn't like her, but despite that, I was still able to make her popular. Eventually, the three of us became the popular girls and we seemed like best friends. As time passed by, I tend to notice that she was gradually changing into a traditional popular girl that craved for attention, flirted with boys, and bullied other people who weren't popular, but I ignored all of it thinking that she was happy." Ino looked at the ground distantly, smiling sadly.

Sakura could feel her heart slowly being crushed from guilt in hearing her own life story from her best friend. She didn't want this. _Stop… stop it!._

"But I couldn't pretend forever… ever since he came. Arisugaki Sai, enrolled into our school, and everything changed after that."

Sakura's eyes widened at hearing the new student's name. What? Him? He enrolled to her school in elementary. How? How can that be? She didn't remember such an event. Why couldn't she remember that?

"I remember. All three of us used to like him, and we even called ourselves the S.A.I. girls. It stands for our names: **S**akura. **A**mi. **I**no. Ironic, isn't it? We made our group's name the name of our crush, but those were only moments of obsession.

"My career as a teenage supermodel became more demanding, so I had to leave the country for five months. But… when I came back…" Ino took a deep breath, her emotions overwhelming her. Her eyes became blurry, but she tried to restrain herself from crying. Her grip on Sakura's shoulder's loosened, but Sakura didn't make any movement to pry Ino's hands away from her shirt.

"You left me―without even saying anything! Why? Why did you do that? Why would you abandon me like that?" Ino sniffed, pausing abruptly. "What did I do to you?" Ino lowered her head, and this time, she couldn't hold her tears any longer and she cried right in front of Sakura.

Sakura could feel her eyes itch. Was she crying too? Damn it. _Don't… don't cry. Not now. _Why did Ino have to go all-emotional in from of her? Why? She wanted to slap herself. What she hated the most was that she didn't even make any protest that Ino got the wrong person? What had she done?

"Did you ever consider me as a friend… Sakura?" Ino's voice was barely a whisper.

"I…" Sakura forced herself to say, not knowing what to say next. "I… I d…" she stammered, forcing her mind to think of a possible excuse that could get her out of this situation. She couldn't help it anymore. There was nothing left to say because…

"I'm sorry."

That was all that could be said.

* * *

He was about to open the door to leave the house until a voice stopped him.

"Where are you going, little brother?"

Sasuke groaned. Why did this _weasel_ have to show up for? "None of your business," Sasuke replied curtly.

"It's unusual for you to go out dressed like that. I was merely curious and went to see for myself what you were up to. Going on a date, perhaps?" Itachi smiled cockily, enjoying the glare that his younger brother was giving him. It was most amusing.

Sasuke refused to say anything, knowing that Itachi would only corner him to admitting it. With one final glare, Sasuke forcefully opened the door and slammed it closed loud enough to make Itachi's ears ring.

Somehow, not saying anything just made Itachi even more interested.

* * *

"I'm sorry for troubling you like this, but I'm not the person you are looking for," Sakura replied in a cold yet reassuring tone.

Ino's grip slowly loosened and slowly her hand returned back to her side, leaving Sakura's shirt crumpled. "Is that so?" she muttered in a low whisper.

"I'm sorry," Sakura apologized once more, feeling that it was appropriate that she did.

Ino smiled and laughed, "Sorry, I was carried away. Forget it―forget I said anything." She turned around, knowing that it was best to leave. She stopped momentarily only to bid Sakura farewell. "I'm sorry for intruding, Sakura… san… but thank you… for listening to me."

She walked away, unable to bear staying any longer. She opened the door without hesitation. There was no point any more. She couldn't do it, and she had been so sure too. How could she…?

"Ino-san," Sakura called out, stopping Ino from finally walking out of the door.

Ino turned around and looked at Sakura blankly, as if the vulnerable and emotional girl that she saw crying before didn't even exist.

It hurt Sakura to see Ino this way. It really showed that she betrayed Ino somehow. She turned away, because she couldn't bear to look at Ino's expressionless eyes. "I believe that the person you are looking for is very grateful for everything thing that you've done for her." Gaining more confidence, Sakura looked up and finally looked at Ino in the eye. She walked towards her, closing the gap between them until the only distance that separates them is the opened door. Sakura stood at the other end of the door, while Ino was only inches out of the room. "You're a great friend, and she couldn't ask for anything more." Sakura smiled. It was the truth. This was what she really felt, and there was no use in lying to her.

There **are** still friends, even though she was committing a great sin. She still wanted to be her friend, even though she didn't deserve to be Ino's friend anymore. It was selfish of her to think so and hypocritical. It would, however, be Ino's decision if she still wanted to be friends with a hypocrite like her. The person who left her and lied―no―continues to lie to her.

Ino, however, had other thoughts and feelings about what she just heard. A smile crept up from her lips that quivered, trying to maintain its position. "Yeah," she whispered softly, and closed the door, not saying any else. She didn't need to say anything. All she had to do was listen.

At the sound of the door closing, Sakura turned around and leaned on it. She looked at the ground with her mind completely focused on her own thoughts. She didn't even notice that her eyes were becoming blurry until she felt a wet substance trailing down her cheek. She blinked as she wiped her with her hands, staining her fingers with her warm tears.

A silent sob escaped in her throat. It hurt. Seeing Ino like that hurt her. She felt guilty. She hated herself. Ino cried just for her, and even now, she still didn't lose hope, and all she did was shun her away. How could she! Sobbing more coherent than before, Sakura muttered softly, "Ino… I'm sorry."

How could Ino forgive her now when she was shamelessly lying and hurting her feelings?

"I'm so sorry," she uttered breathlessly and painfully. She continued crying, barely able to make out her apology. It was useless, since she was making an empty apology.

How could Ino even think of her as a friend now?

There was no way she could be forgiven, and that's what hurt her the most.

* * *

"Itachi-sama? Where are you going?" The maid asked out of confusion that Itachi was leaving right before lunch… that was quite odd even for him.

"You don't need to make lunch for me. I'll be right back in time for dinner though." Itachi said simply, grabbing his coat and slipping it on.

"Going out somewhere?" The maid asked, leaving a few hints and hoping that he'll tell her where he was going.

"A place that will surely enlighten my day," Itachi smirked secretively, leaving the maid even more confused than before as he walked out of the manor with a cocky smile in place.

* * *

Gaara could hear the silent sobs from the other side of the door, as he stood right outside his sister's room. He knew that this would happen right in at that instant when he caught glimpse of Yamanaka Ino leaving their manor. There was nothing that he could have done. After all, Sakura's relationship with Ino was none of his business.

He knew that there was nothing he could say that would make his sister feel better. But… that didn't matter. After all, Gaara wasn't the type that would try to make someone feel better. That doesn't mean that he doesn't.

He just had a different way of doing so.

"Sakura."

Sakura flinched, as she immediately stopped breathing, afraid that she might choke out a sob that would make it obvious that she was crying. She didn't want him to know that she was crying. It would only make him worry. She inhaled and exhaled, trying to regain her breath. "Y-yeah," she tried to reply as normal as possible, but her voice was still weak and shaky.

"Don't you have a 'date' today?"

_What?_ Sakura tilted her head to the side in confusion.

"It's already noon. If you didn't want to go in the first place, you should've just told _him_ so instead of leading _him_ on."

Sakura gasped in surprise. How could she have forgotten? Today was a very important day. It was not only Valentine's Day, but it was also her first date with her fiancée, Uchiha Sasuke. Wiping the tears cascading down her wet cheeks, Sakura abruptly stood up, and bolted to her closet door, trying to find something to wear.

At the other side of the door, Gaara smirked at the sound of Sakura's hectic footsteps, echoing in her room.

"You're going to be late if you don't hurry up." Gaara walked away, finally leaving Sakura in her own privacy. He didn't bother to wait for a reply. After all, he already knew that she was doing.

Sakura's head immediately perked up, realizing what her brother meant. Her date! How could she have forgotten! She had been too worried and occupied with Ino's unexpected visit that she had completely forgotten about her date.

She gasped and bolted towards her closet, trying to find something comfortable to wear. She couldn't believe how much time has passed when Ino came to visit. Now, she was going to be late for her date.

She needed to move fast. This date might be the only chance she would get to know Sasuke. If she didn't move faster, she might not make it in time. There could be a good possibility that Sasuke might leave because he might think that she wouldn't show up.

No. She couldn't let that happen. She didn't want to deny it anymore, but she was looking forward to this date. She wanted to spend time with him in a way that he wouldn't treat a regular person, and not as a burden. She wanted to get to know Uchiha Sasuke as himself, not Uchiha Sasuke as her fiancée.

With one last stroke of the brush down her long pink hair, she laid the brush back on her dresser. She looked at any signs of anything wrong with her facial and body appearance through her mirror. Satisfied with how she looked, she ran out of her bedroom door, and sprinted down the stairs as fast as her legs could carry her.

* * *

Ino immediately looked up when she heard footsteps. Careful not to expose herself from her hiding place, she leaned against the brick wall, and looked out for her upcoming target carefully and closely.

When the person that she had been waiting for had walked out of the shiny, expensive, and stylish metal gates and sprinted towards the opposite direction from where she was, her eyes narrowed.

"I don't know why you're hiding from me, Sakura, but sooner or later, I'm going to find out."

Stepping out of her hiding place, Ino followed Sakura at a safe distance, careful not to attract attention from passers-by.

* * *

She continued running, hoping to get to their meeting place in time. She didn't understand why she suddenly wanted to go on a date with him. She already told herself that she hated him… and yet… here she was, running just to reach her destination in time.

Why? She still didn't understand.

What was her reason?

There might be a great possibility that he would finally figure out who she was because of this date.

She couldn't help but smile, dismissing her inner self's doubts. She already knew the answer.

Like what she told herself before, she wanted to get to know him, not as her fiancée Uchiha Sasuke, but simply him being Uchiha Sasuke.

It scared her a bit. She felt like it didn't matter to her if he **did **find out who she really was. What mattered was that she would get to know him for who he really was.

But there was another risk.

Will she fall in love with him because of it?

_No way… that'll never happen._

* * *

Was it just him or did that girl really like making him wait?

Even during that time, when he… **tried** to apologize, she was still late. What was that girl doing?

She was the one who asked him to go on a…

"_That's because I'll be the one taking you."_

He couldn't bring himself to say no. Well, he was the one who asked first. He couldn't back out anymore even if he wanted to.

Hopefully, this 'date' wouldn't turn into something he would regret later.

When he heard the sound of footsteps coming from his side, he turned towards the direction of the noise to see who it was. She was here. She came after all.

He watched her as she stopped just a respectable distance away from him. She tried to regain her breath to its normal rhythm as she lowered her hands to her knees in a leaning position.

"I'm sorry," she panted, still trying to regain her breath. "I'm sorry that I'm late." She pushed her hands on her knees and straightened her back into a standing position.

Her breath was more even now, but he could see her shoulders heaving up and down. She must have run here from who knows where just to get here in time. She was still tired, but now, she was looking at him, waiting for him to say something.

Sasuke turned around and walked away, leaving Sakura baffled and shocked. How long was late? Did she keep him waiting too long? If he wanted to leave, then he should've left before she got here. Is he just going to leave her here, standing like an idiot? _That―_

Eventually, Sasuke stopped and looked back at her still figure. "If you keep standing there looking like that, people will think that you're an idiot," he uttered casually.

Sakura flushed; both from embarrassment of doubting the guy in front of her and from the attention she couldn't help but notice that she was getting. Without any further hesitation, she quickly ran after Sasuke, not wanting to stay alone in the place.

Maybe if she stayed close to him, people would stop staring.

She was wrong. People didn't stop staring. In fact, they were attracting more attention than before.

"_Is that Uchiha Sasuke?"_

"_Oh my―it is Sasuke-kun!"_

"_I've only seen him on TV, but I've never expected in seeing him in a place like this!"_

"_Who's that girl?"_

"_I've never seen her before."_

"_Ah, I'm jealous!"_

"_They look like celebrities going out!"_

"_They look so cute together!"_

"_I bet that girl's just another fling."_

"_Yeah, she shouldn't feel so special."_

Sakura sweat dropped at hearing both negative and positive comments from the people around them. Well, at least it wasn't like how she was treated at school, but then again… since when did she care. She didn't usually care if people talked about her even if they were doing so just behind her, but being with him― (She looked at Sasuke's impassive features as they continued to walk.) ―she couldn't help but overhear what the people around them are saying.

In a way, she admired him for being able to handle being exposed to the media and making him famous even to places like this, but maybe… that was just a part of being in a famous clan called the Uchihas.

Is that why he's so impassive?

Sakura was so focused on her thoughts about the man she had been looking at, that **he **eventually noticed the weight of her staring at him.

"What?" Sasuke asked, still as impassive as ever. However, there was still a slightest tinge of annoyance within his tone.

"Ah," Sakura flushed in embarrassment, as she realized that she had been staring at him for too long. She immediately shook her head and turned away from him. "It's… it's nothing."

"Ignore them."

"Eh?" She looked up to him once more, not understanding whom he was referring to.

"It doesn't matter if they keep staring at you, just ignore them. It's easier that way," Sasuke suggested, keeping his pace as they walked down the street, passing by murmuring people.

He must have noticed that she felt somewhat uncomfortable with all the attention they were receiving.

Sakura smiled, silently grateful with his concern, even though it didn't show much. She looked at one stranger that she passed by when she heard something different.

"_I wonder how his father will take this. His son wasting his time hanging out with someone of no status, Fugaku-san would be very disappointed."_

Sakura immediately averted her gaze to Sasuke when she heard this.

He was still the same as ever. It was as if that statement didn't affect him at all.

But Sakura felt otherwise.

"But is it easier for you?" Sakura asked, feeling that he was just concealing his feelings. "Doesn't it bother you?"

There it was. The way he looked at her when she said this told her that she was right. She had read through him, because even though he always said to her how much he didn't like her, he wouldn't do anything about it.

"_I won't break the engagement because you're going to do that for me." Sasuke said composedly._

"_What! Look here you! I will definitely not be the one who will break this engagement. Maybe you're ordering me to because of your huge ego, or maybe, it's against your pride to ask your parents about a serious matter such as this." Sakura stated slyly._

She didn't understand. His ego couldn't only be the reason. There was something else. There was another reason as to why he didn't want to break the engagement even though he wanted to.

It couldn't be her because he had already made that clear a dozen times before by insulting her and teasing her whenever he saw her.

Maybe… it could be his father. But…

… what exactly was he afraid off?

When she noticed that Sasuke was glaring at her, Sakura immediately knew that she had definitely hit a nerve. Before Sasuke could have a chance to retort, Sakura immediately changed to topic of their conversation… that was… if they were having a conversation in the first place.

Sakura skipped forward until she was right in front of him. She turned around and blocked his path, stopping him from moving. This distracted Sasuke as he only raised his eyebrow at her sudden giddy attitude.

"Let's go somewhere," she smiled at him. "Let's go somewhere where no one would recognize you."

Somewhere were no one would recognize him… that has got to be some kind of joke. His family was always in the media; there was no such place that no one would know who he was. He let her know what he was thinking in his own unique way, "Are you trying to be funny?"

"No," Sakura replied with a laugh, confident with herself. She grabbed his hand and started dragging him, Sasuke reluctant but following her lead nonetheless.

"Where are we going?" Sasuke asked. He was annoyed by the sudden familiarity that she had with him. She was holding his hand, and he didn't like it, but even though he didn't, he didn't make a move to pull his hand away.

He couldn't be mean. This date was a sign of his apology. He couldn't make her mad again. It would only be more troublesome for him. All he wanted was to get this over and done with.

Sakura looked back at him and smiled secretively at him, "You'll see."

Sasuke didn't know whether this was a good idea.

* * *

She growled as she glared at the road. People who were passing by her cowered in fear because of the intense murdering aura she was emitting. That stupid chauffeur! What kind of excuse was that!

"_My son has collapsed and he is at the hospital Temari-sama. I'm sorry that I can't drive you for the rest of the day, but I have to be with my son."_

He even took the limousine with him, and didn't bother to drive her home. He just left her… here… in a place she didn't know where.

"_Just call for a new __chauffeur __that would drive you for the rest of the day, Temari-sama. I'm sorry but I really have to go."_

_Like hell you do! I don't even have a phone with me! Damn it!_ Temari screamed mentally. Was he that stupid? First, he would drive her to a place even she didn't know, and leaves her by herself without even calling for another chauffeur to come and get her. That didn't take much effort! Was that too hard to do?

He didn't need to take the limousine with him too! It would have been better if he left it with her. Not that she could drive that anyway, but still!

That was her family's property. He had no right to borrow because of some family emergency that came up. He didn't even ask her first!

Temari brought her hand to her side to reach for her purse, but…

She gasped in shock and a more feral growl escaped her gritted teeth. Her purse that contained her phone and her wallet that had all her cash, debit and credit cards was inside that limousine. She forgot to take it with her.

_That guy is definitely getting fired,_ she thought grudgingly with a clenched fist. She would make sure that no other job would want him. She would make sure of it!

No way would she want someone like that to drive her again. Oh no. She wouldn't risk being in the same kind of situation again.

Well, enough about him. She needed to worry about herself now, and best not wallow in her anger. What she needed to do now was try and figure out where she was, and find a way to get back home.

Temari looked around the shops that surrounded her. All she wanted was to go shopping for new clothes, and her damn chauffeur had **suggested** that she should go to a place like _this_―this commoner place! Not only were the streets filthy, but she also felt… awkward.

Everyone was staring at her like she was a plague that came to haunt them. Jezz, haven't these people ever seen a rich person in real life before?

_Lowlives,_ Temari snorted. It was the only proper term she could give these… people. The term suited them very well since none of them can't seem to mind their own damn business.

She was surprised she could still remain calm in this situation. Right now, being alone in the street and not knowing where to go made her feel like she was a child that had lost her parents.

_Ugh, scary thought,_ Temari shuddered and mentally reprimanded herself for thinking such things.

This time, she would definitely find out where she was. She turned around and looked at the other side of the street, but suddenly gasped, her dilemma momentarily forgotten.

Wha… what was Sakura doing… dressed like that… with Uchiha Sasuke along with her? Were they… on a date…? No way. That couldn't be. That just couldn't be true. Could it?

Suddenly, Temari didn't feel so lost anymore.

There was definitely something up between those two… but what? There was only one thing to do.

It seemed that it was time to do an investigation and see what those two were up to.

* * *

He was bored. He thought that walking around would relieve his boredom, but it only became worse.

_Lying down would have been better, _he commented dryly. Then again, it was winter right now―not a good time to lie around outside.

He turned around, thinking it would be better for him to head home. Lying down on his bed wouldn't be bad at all. There was nothing for him to do here anyway. Suddenly, he couldn't help but notice a familiar face walking towards him.

He crooked his eyebrow at the sight of his ex-fiancée walking so slowly and looking at the other side of the road. She was being ridiculous, and he just had to break it to her.

"Ino, what are you doing?"

The said girl looked at him like she had just been caught doing a crime. This only made him more annoyed. He shook his head and tried to walk away from her, not bothering to wait for her reply, but before he could, Ino yanked his collar and made them crouch down, looking at the other side of the road again, hoping that she wasn't caught.

And that was how Nara Shikamaru got dragged into this mess.

* * *

"This is it," Sakura giggled, finally letting go of Sasuke's hand and walking towards a wilted Cherry Blossom tree that stood in front of them.

What… what was this place?

"What are you doing standing there for?" Sakura yelled from underneath the Cherry Blossom tree. "Come on," she made a hand gesture for Sasuke to approach her.

Sasuke sighed, but walked over to her nonetheless. He needed to make something clear to her before she got any ideas.

The smile on Sakura's face resurfaced guilt and reluctance, which stopped him from walking towards her. He knew that it would hurt her, but it needed to be done. He didn't want her to become delusional and think that they were now together.

He turned away from her as he continued to walk towards her, the distance between them decreasing as he took each step. He stopped and looked back to Sakura, only to see her looking at him with concern.

"Is something wrong?" Sakura asked, cocking her head to the side as her worry increased when he didn't say anything for a while.

He mentally sighed, thinking that he should just get this over and done with. "I want to make something clear to you."

Sakura remained silent; waiting for Sasuke to tell her what has been bothering him and occupying his mind since they met today.

Sasuke turned away, and looked at nothing in particular. He couldn't afford to look at her right now. "Just because we're together doesn't mean that we're going out. I don't like you in any way, and I don't want to give you an idea that I harbour any romantic feelings towards you." Sasuke paused, thinking of a right term for their 'outing'. "We're only going out as a―"

"We aren't friends because we barely know each other," Sakura cut in, not wanting to hear him say the rest of his sentence because she had a pretty good idea what he wanted to say. She brought her index finger to her chin, to add an effect to her thinking state, "The appropriate word―or rather―phrase should be 'strangers on a path of friendship'."

Sasuke chuckled at Sakura's choice of words for a cliché phrase, "Not even close." He didn't even know that Sakura's pathetic attempt to change the topic of conversation worked, and he forgot his dilemma.

Sakura giggled along with him, enjoying the moment. "Don't worry," she said after her giggling had ceased and smiled comfortingly to him, "I don't want to be like that with you. All I want is to get to know you, that's all."

"Isn't that the same thing?" Sasuke asked with a slight frown on his face,

"No," Sakura replied simply. "Going out with someone means that we would be holding each other's hands and kissing each other when we find ourselves… in the moment."

Sasuke still thought otherwise. Weren't they holding each other's hand before they came here? He chose not to argue. Whatever. If that were what she wanted to think, then he wouldn't argue.

But… there was still one thing that was bugging his mind.

"What are we here for then?" He asked, looking at the no petal Cherry Blossom trees surrounding them.

Sakura smiled at him, "I told you before didn't I? I wanted to bring you to a place that no one would surely recognize us."

Sasuke looked around, seeing no sign of human life around the place. Well, it was quite obvious. It was still winter, and the beauty of the Cherry Blossom trees wouldn't be witnessed until its beauty would sprout during the spring season.

"Don't you ever wonder why during spring, the town would have Cherry Blossom petals raining down on them," Sakura muttered as she walked over to the side of the tree.

"I don't live in this part of town, so I don't really know what you're talking about," Sasuke replied curtly as he followed her tracks until he stood right beside her.

He could understand what she meant. Inches away from where the roots of the Cherry Blossom tree was held where a cliff hanged, and the sight of the town below greeted them. People walking in sidewalks seemed like ants, and cars looked like bugs, while buildings didn't look as tall from where they stood. The ground was covered with snow just like in anywhere around town.

Sakura giggled at Sasuke's dry humor, "Then why don't you come here again during spring. I can tell you that it would be a beautiful sight to see."

True. He could imagine what it would be like to stand in the same place, watching Cherry Blossom petals rain down upon the town.

What are they doing in place like this? There was no explanation. This wasn't a good dating place. It seemed so dead and gloomy to date in a place like this.

* * *

"I don't get it," Ino spoke to no one in particular.

"What I don't get is why you brought me here in the first place," Shikamaru sighed, getting annoyed with being dragged into something he didn't want to be a part in the first place.

"You were too loud. I could've been caught because of you," Ino hissed in whisper, trying to level their argument into low whispers so that they wouldn't be caught.

"If you could've been caught because of me… then why drag me here in the first place?" Annoying her was the best way to pay her back for wasting his time. He didn't want to spy on the Uchiha's personal life. He didn't care and he didn't want to know. He didn't want to get involve with the guy as much as possible.

It was then that something clicked. "He has a girlfriend. Good for him," he didn't sound too happy because it sounded more like he spoke out of sheer boredom.

"Ugh, can you please shut up for one moment," Ino rolled her eyes and glared at him.

"So what if he has a girlfriend. He finally found someone within the opposite sex that suites his taste. Can't you just leave that alone?" Shikamaru sighed, thinking that Ino had no business to pry into the Uchihas life.

"You know Shikamaru… you should really get yourself a girlfriend so that you would stop complaining," Ino was getting annoyed by Shikamaru's sly remarks. She didn't need them right now.

"And you should really get a life," Shikamaru responded with another sly remark.

Ino growled, "Thank goodness I broke my engagement with you. I can't stand being with you for a whole day."

"It's cold," Shikamaru complained lightly, knowing that it will only annoy the girl beside him even more for not taking her seriously.

Ino balled her hand into a fist, but tried to restrain herself from hurting her ex-fiancée. "Ugh, you're so annoying."

"Don't worry; you've always been troublesome to deal with."

Ino couldn't stand him anymore. Why did she drag him with her again? He could leave if he wanted too. He was always complaining, then he should've just went on his way, and left her alone. _Honestly, he should've just left if he wanted to leave so damn much!_ "Why are you still here anyway?"

"I could ask you the same question," a new monotone voice cut in, making the two teens silent.

Ino froze in shock. That voice was so very familiar that it made the hair on her back stand out. She was busted. No. **They **were busted. Oh great. If they just toned their voices down, then they wouldn't have been caught. She wanted to blame Shikamaru for all of his complaints, but it was too late for that now, they had already been caught.

Shikamaru sighed. So what if they were caught? It was only a matter of time. He turned around, but frowned at the two strangers towering above them.

"Who are you people?"

_Huh?_ Ino was baffled. That was odd. Why would he ask a question like that? She turned around to see for herself who were the people that caught them.

_It isn't them_, Ino was somewhat relieved that they weren't exactly caught… yet.

"Itachi-san," Ino greeted the man with a nervous smile. She turned to his female companion and greeted her as well, "Temari-san." It was a relief that they weren't caught yet, but what were these two doing in a place like this?

Shikamaru frowned at her, "You know these people?"

"Idiot! How can you not know Uchiha Itachi? He's Sasuke's older brother!" Ino snapped, annoyed by her ex-fiancée's ignorance.

Shikamaru snorted, "Sorry, I just don't like involving myself with the media. I tend to distance myself from such people as much as possible."

"That's funny hearing it from someone whose parents are downright famous," Temari chuckled.

"Who asked you, woman?" Shikamaru replied brusquely.

Temari's eye twitched in irritation, "Why you?"

Ino decided to change the situation knowing that it would only escalate into another argument if she let them continue. "So… are you two on a date or something?" Ino couldn't help but ask seeing how the two came here together.

Itachi chuckled, "No, we merely passed by each other and accidentally were going on the same road."

Ino opened her mouth to ask something else but Itachi beat her to it and asked her a question that has been lingering in his mind before she could.

"This may sound like I'm intruding to your personal life, but I couldn't help but be curious. Ino-san, are you and Shikamaru―"

"No!" Ino exclaimed, cutting Itachi off. She knew what he was going to say, and she did not want to hear it. "Shikamaru is my **ex**-fiancée, and that's all he'll ever be." Ino couldn't even stomach being Shikamaru's wife. They had both made that clear to each other while they were still engaged. They were no mutual attraction, and they could only **be** friends. They would kill each other if they had to live in the same house for more than one day.

"Thank goodness," Shikamaru muttered in sardonic relief.

"No one asked you, idiot," Ino hissed back in a low begrudging whisper. And their relationship still stood the same. She couldn't stand him, neither could he stand her. The feeling was mutual. Maybe, that would be the only thing they would agree on.

Shikamaru stood up, completely fed up. "I'm leaving," he muttered and walked away. If they people surrounding him were just going to 'spy' on Uchiha Sasuke and his 'girlfriend', then he was out. He had no interest in doing that whatsoever. He just didn't care for the matter.

Itachi couldn't help but wonder… "What's with the sudden change of mind?" he asked in a casual amused tone.

Shikamaru looked back and sounded pretty fed up, even though he tried to suppress it because he might blow their cover and get caught by the two oblivious teens they were spying on. "What they do in their spare time is not something that interests me."

Temari watched Shikamaru as he left and sighed. She averted her gaze towards Itachi, and then to the girl still crouching behind the bush, and peeking from the gap the bushes have so that she could watch the scene unfold between Uchiha Sasuke and Haruno Sakura. Temari's eyebrow rose in silent amusement. His **ex**-fiancée wasn't even fazed or concerned that he left her all alone.

That just shows that their engagement wasn't made to be.

She switched her attention to the two people that their group had been spying on.

Looking at Sakura smiling and laughing even at the presence of Uchiha Sasuke seemed to ease her a bit. She knew then. She didn't need to investigate anymore. That would be cruel of her to spy on them when they went out like this to be away from people and try to _enjoy _each other's company. That was… if that was the real reason behind the sudden… 'date'.

"You know what, I changed my mind," she said, breaking the silence that they finally had, even for a couple of moments.

When she earned the two's attention, she gave them her decision. "You two can do whatever you want, but I'm out of here. Bye." With a wave, she was off going back to her quest to find her way back home.

Question now was: how was she going to have such an achievement if she didn't have any resources?

"What's suddenly gotten into her?" Ino wondered out loud. She was confused. Why did this girl come here? Who did she want to see, or rather 'spy' on? But what confused her the most was… why the sudden change of mind and leave?

"I have no idea," Itachi mumbled back.

The both focused their attention ones more to their targets and all became silent once more, but silent moments are meant to be broken one way or another.

"Ino-san," Itachi began.

Ino looked at him, waiting for him to continue.

Thinking that continuing their pursuits would be pointless now that it was becoming quite boring, he decided that it was time to take his leave. "I think it's time that I leave as well."

His chuckle made Ino confused. "Huh?"

"I don't think there's any point to do this. These two wanted some privacy, and we are ruining it for them. I think that we should at least respect their wishes and leave, don't you," Itachi informed her with a smile that is unique only to him. It was a smile that didn't fully show Itachi's true intentions. A secretive smile.

Ino laughed lightly, "About that… erm…" He was right. They were ruining the moment that those two had, even if she didn't accept that it was plausible that they had a secret relationship that no one knew about. Still… she wanted to keep an eye on them a bit longer: to finally figure out what could be going on between them.

She stole one more glance at the two, and looked back at Itachi.

Maybe…

"I think you're right," Ino nodded.

It was time they left.

But that's what she wanted him to think.

She would surely go back and try to spy on them by herself.

What she didn't know was that her companion was thinking the same thing.

* * *

"Hey!"

He grumbled willingly showing his annoyance of being followed. "What do you want?" He mentally scolded himself from stopping and talking to this… woman.

"Do you know how rude you are? How could you talk like that to a woman?" Temari reprimanded with a glare.

"Or maybe you're just annoyed about how I treated you back there," Shikamaru drawled, immediately understanding the hidden meaning behind Temari's set of questions.

"Exactly!" Temari couldn't believe this! He even knew it and he didn't seem to mind at all.

"So?"

Not even the tiniest bit. He just didn't care.

"Didn't your parents provide you with special classes just for proper etiquette―or maybe… you thought you were just too damn _**good **_for something like it?"

Shikamaru scoffed in bitter laughter. "Or maybe… women like _you_ just don't deserve such necessity."

Temari's glare returned, only it intensified even deadlier than before. "How dare you…"

Shikamaru turned around, his actions showing that he wanted their useless conversation to end. There was no point in them talking, if all there were going to do was argue to the point that they would quarrel on why the sky was blue and that rocks don't grow on trees. What a waste of work for their salivary glands!

He needed to get home. This day just went from bad to worse. First, he had to see his ex-fiancée and get dragged by her to some place he had no interest of going. Second, he had to meet another woman who had the same tongue as Ino―maybe even worse!

Yes, it was time to leave, but why, oh, why did he had the sudden urge to stop because he didn't hear any more complaints coming out from the girl behind him? Was it guilt? Nah.

"Oi," Shikamaru called, but Temari merely turned around and walked away.

Ugh, this was why he hated women. They were so stubborn. He trailed after her, and grabbed her wrist, preventing her from walking any further.

"Let go of me," Temari hissed, facing away from him.

Shikamaru didn't abide to her request though. "What's wrong with you? First, you call me like you want something, and then you just leave like that."

"You were the one that left me first, jerk!" Temari tried to jerk her hand away from the enclosed fingers around her wrist. "Let go of me!" She protested, as she tried to break her hand free.

Shikamaru ignored her protest, but only tightened his grip even more.

This only made Temari even more annoyed. "Fine then," she murmured as she came with a solution to pry his annoying hands away from her. She lifted her free hand, and tried to slap his face with as much force as she could muster, however, her triumphant expression fell when Shikamaru was able to sense her intentions and stopped her hand with a tight grip on her other wrist.

Now that Shikamaru was holding both of her wrists tightly, Temari cussed at her failed attempt to get herself free.

"Gee, what's with you? Now you're trying to hit me. What's wrong with you?" Shikamaru tried to maintain his hold onto her, when she ignored him and still continued to struggle out of his grip. "Hey," Shikamaru tried to get her attention when she became restless. "I told you to calm―"

And thus, after a long moment of struggle, Temari was finally able to get herself free when she was able to use her hand and punch Shikamaru on the cheek, despite the tight grip he had on her to keep her from moving. As a precaution, Temari distanced herself away from him, just in case that he would try to pull the same stunt as before to restrain her.

"I told you to let me go," Temari glared at him, satisfied with what she did.

Shikamaru muttered inaudibly as he noticed the stares that the people around the street were giving them. Since he was a man that tried to avoid public affairs because of the popularity of his family to the media, he decided that he should stop this nonsense before it somehow becomes a story in tonight's news.

If she was being stubborn, then so be it.

If she wanted him to leave her alone, then that's just fine with him.

"Whatever," he turned around and walked away without looking back as if she was a stranger that he just met moments ago―which was definitely true―but why did he feel as if it was not like that at all.

Temari couldn't help but stare at his retreating back in awe. She couldn't believe it. He just left her. Just like that. Unbelievable.

_Oh well. Who cares! At least now I don't have to deal with a jerk like him._

Now… it was time for her to get home. She started walking the opposite direction from Shikamaru's with the desire to distance herself from him as much as possible. She didn't even want to see him again.

However, she eventually stopped when something clicked in her mind.

Oh great.

Where was the direction of home again?

Great! Just great!

With a sigh, Temari strolled over to the bench that she saw in her line of view. She plopped down on it with a distressed moan.

How was she going to get home now?

* * *

She was giggling, and he knew very well whom she was laughing at.

Sasuke couldn't help but growl in annoyance. Now what? What did he do now?

"You're really weird, you know," Sakura giggled yet again.

The only reply she received was a grunt from the man beside her.

She continued giggling, amused by his reaction.

Sasuke groaned in annoyance when the giggling didn't stop. "I'm leaving." He made a motion to get up, but a hand gripping his arm restrained him from doing so.

"No―wait! Wait! Don't leave!"

Sasuke had the sudden urge to look at her, and tried to restrain it but it didn't seem to matter. He immediately responded to the desperate sound of her voice and sighed, convincing himself that he couldn't leave. Not yet. This was her time, and today, he was going to respect her wishes―no matter how ridiculous or farfetched it may be. After all, this day represents his small gesture of apology.

But why did it seem that he didn't felt like that was the reason?

"You're easily annoyed, huh?" Despite her efforts, she still couldn't contain her laughter. It was more like bells ringing rather than birds singing to Sasuke's ears.

_Did I come here to get insulted?_ Sasuke complained mentally. _ How annoying. _He swore that this girl was punishing him for prying too much with her life that he didn't even know anything about. The way she was smiling whenever she was _criticizing_ his personally just irks him to no end.

"Uchiha Sasuke, the infamous handsome prince with a cold personality that refuses to talk to the girls at his school, which makes girls desperate just to get him to them, and yet… here he is―agreeing to see a girl that he barely knew. What a mystery?" Sakura stated with mocking sarcasm, enjoying ticking her fiancée off more and more the longer she spent time with him.

It maybe selfish, but she felt like this was the only time that he would let her torment him without fighting back. It was her only moment to have their roles reversed and she was enjoying every second of it.

_If only…_

"Hn, don't get you're hopes up." Sasuke scoffed, denying every word that she said in some way even though they were partly true. "I wasn't doing it for you." He shifted and turned away from her.

Sakura ignored his statement and acted as if he didn't say anything. "Despite that, I'm glad you came nonetheless. It makes me very happy." _More than you'll ever know_. Sakura, however, refused to mention the rest, thinking that it was unnecessary.

… _This moment could last forever._

She didn't care whether he replied back or not. He didn't even need to listen if he didn't want to. All she wanted was to tell him, whether he listened or not.

Taking a deep sigh, she plopped back down the grass, lying down comfortably beside Sasuke. He didn't say anything for a while and just kept staring at the city below, as if he was deep in thought.

_Forever…_

He thought that she was going to continue bothering him by insulting him, or talking about ridiculous things. She didn't do either of those things. For once, she gave him space and let him think. He was grateful, even if it was only for a moment that she was giving him privacy.

They stayed like that for a while. She was closing her eyes, resting comfortably on the grass, while he kept staring at nothing in particular, even if his gaze was directed towards the city below them.

… _However… nothing lasts…_

"You know you're pretty lucky." Sakura interrupted Sasuke's trail of thought, and broke the minute's silence.

… _Forever._

Sasuke didn't show any acknowledgement that he was listening to her. Maybe he was annoyed with her for talking too much. It was a possibility, but there could be another reason. Maybe, he thought that if he ignored her, she would finally shut up and give him peace and quiet.

Unfortunately, Sakura didn't care either way. She would deal with the consequences later.

If he was pretending not to listen to her, then maybe, she'll try a different approach.

"You're rich, good looking, smart, girls flock around you, and guys are jealous of you. You're life is everything what a normal person would want. It―"

"It's nothing special," Sasuke replied coldly, turning away from her.

Sakura immediately noticed the change of tone of fiancée. Oh no. What had she done? She went too far, and crossed the line she shouldn't have. It was just like at that time… that started this whole ordeal.

"_Don't speak to me… as if you know everything about me," she spoke in a low voice that revealed all the flooding emotions that she was feeling. It was upset, furious, offended, and sad. "Because by far… you still know nothing about me. Absolutely… nothing." Her voice was shaking with what seemed to be―an admission guilt?—as she spoke those words._

That was the reason why… this date had come to happen, and she would just ruin it by saying the wrong thing. Just great!

Before her blatant stupidity ruins this day, she needed to say something. Anything!

"I'm sorry!" Sakura frantically apologized, feeling discomfort from the negative immense aura emanating from Sasuke. It was making the air too difficult to breathe into. She was staring at the ground, unable to look at him in the eye when she knew that for her apology to have its desired effect, her eyes needed to back her up and prove her words. "It was rude of me to speculate or even talk about your own personal life when I'm only getting to know you." Finally, she looked up, but not without preparing herself from his piercing gaze when she did so. "It was out of line, and I'm really sorry."

"It's doesn't matter," Sasuke grunted, feeling awkward in hearing her apology. Why did he even feel like he was the one who was guilty? He couldn't understand it. He didn't understand that at all.

Sakura smiled in relief. He wasn't straight forward, but she knew that he forgave her foolishness. She was glad that at long last, their meeting wouldn't end up as a disaster, even though this may be the last time she would see him like this.

This 'date' was only a one-time opportunity. She wouldn't get another chance like this again, and she knew that she had to make the best of it. It may be the only memorable memory she had with him.

Maybe…

"Thank you," she could feel her tears welling up, feeling sadness from realizing the fact that―this might be the last time she would get to spend time with him like this. A time where they can forget the weight of relationship―how their parents engaged them because it was to their families financial and status development. A time where they would have the luxury to get to know each other and to understand if it would be a mistake to marry him, or not. A time where she could let go of her forced hatred of him, and just see him like a normal human being. To see the real him.

Uchiha Sasuke.

Where no social standing or financial status would get in their way. Where they could just be themselves.

Sasuke couldn't think of what to do in seeing her unshed tears that she was holding back. He couldn't think of what to say. What should he say?

Sensing her fiancée's sudden discomfort, she stood up and walked away from him to give him a chance to get himself together. Was she annoying him? Did she offend him in any way? Many questions were running through her head; most of them were plausible reason why Sasuke was suddenly acting so silent and distant, when she thought that the intense and awkward atmosphere around them has lifted.

Sasuke had other things going through his mind. This girl… He wanted to call her to get her attention, but…

… What was her name? Oh, that's right.

He didn't know her name.

"What's your name?" Sasuke didn't waste any more time. They had met three times before, but he couldn't ask her name.

Sakura couldn't believe what she was hearing. What? She couldn't bring herself to turn around and look at him.

What did he just say?

She stood frozen, overwhelmed with a dozen questions running through her head. She could feel her heart beating even faster than normal, and the sound was making her ears ring. Her breath hitched, and she could only hope that he didn't notice.

Was her cover blown? Did he know who she was, and was only pretending not to know just to mock her?

But it didn't seem to be that way.

The way he asked _that_ question… it made her feel as if she was cornered to a wall with no possible way of escaping. She felt trapped. Her mind going through any way to get out of this inescapable situation―any way at all, but she was losing hope.

Will lying **again** get her through this situation?

Will he even believe her?

She wanted to just blurt a random name out, but that didn't felt right. She couldn't do it. She couldn't lie again. Lying to her best friend, Yamanaka Ino, was hard enough. Lying to her fiancée felt even worse.

But why?

Why does it feel so hard to lie to you?

Sakura felt as if she was going to have a nervous break down. She could only hope that it would come soon enough.

However, when she heard a movement coming from behind her, she knew that her time was up. She couldn't run away anymore. She had to face the consequences of her actions… starting now.

Sasuke couldn't take this girl's silence any longer. With an inaudible grunt, he stood up and slowly approached her. However, hearing the melodic sound of her voice again made him stop.

"What if I don't want to tell you?" She asked in a voice low enough that it helped mask her emotions.

Sasuke frowned with confusion along with the essence of annoyance. What was this girl playing at? Was she testing him? This girl was so confusing. He didn't know what she was thinking. She was hard to understand.

He didn't know how he should answer her question, but there was one thing he knew for sure. He wouldn't play her game.

He fought the urge to grab her shoulder and turn her around so that she would be facing him, he answered her question. "Then, I will wait until you tell me."

Sakura couldn't believe what she was hearing. He actually didn't argue with her. Instead, he told her something like that. She blushed at the romantic choice of words that he used. He was never like this, and that thought made her already blushing face to become more noticeable when blood pumped up to her cheeks, making her even redder than before. She felt embarrassed. Thank goodness he couldn't see her.

"Then… you will have to wait for a long time."

She spoke in riddles and somewhat it held the truth at the same time. She knew the possibility of keeping her past secret was only held by a thread, but if she could keep that thread from being cut, then she would do anything to prolong the time she could keep the thread intact.

Even if she knew that it was only a matter of time before the thread snaps into two because of an unknown force. And this unknown force would only be―

She gasped when she felt his hand brush the side of her face as he took the strands of her hair in his grasp. She could almost feel his hands running through her hair, and she couldn't help but shudder from the anticipation of feeling his hands touch her face.

NO!

She didn't want to be touched and wanted to get away from his wandering hands as soon as possible, but her body's desires seemed to be stronger. His touch wasn't gentle, but it had it own unique effect that she couldn't describe. All she knew was that she didn't want to end that feeling.

"Wha… what are you doing…?" She timidly asked. Even though the feeling of his hand was affecting her in ways she couldn't understand, she still felt that it was wrong. Why was he doing this?

Sasuke ignored her question, and turned her face towards his. "Look at me."

Was that an order, or a request? She couldn't tell from the sound of his voice. As much as she wanted to avoid looking at him, she couldn't prevent him from tilting her face to the side to look at him.

"Why won't you tell me?" Sasuke asked, calmly and patiently waiting for her to answer.

Sakura could feel the close proximity of their faces, and it was making her really uncomfortable. He was too close. Too close.

In a state of panic, she jerked away from his grip and walked away. She didn't leave though. She only distanced herself away from him to a more comfortable space where she could think straight.

"I don't want to tell you," Sakura finally answered as a few moments passed by. "We barely know each other, and since we won't see each other again after today, it would be pointless to tell you my name."

It was true. After this day, they wouldn't see each other again. She didn't want to have the possibility of him trying to find her, since she knew that if she gave him her name, he might actually look for her.

"We won't see each other again. What's the point?" Sakura said in a poignant whisper. "Just call me however you want."

She looked up and automatically smiled at the sight of small white cotton ball shaped snowflakes rain down from the sky.

_That way…_

Her eyes trailed off one particular snowflake as it continued to fall down like a feather, seeing it fall at the same level as her face and down unto the ground.

… _I can cherish the time that I spent with you during these three meetings… even if the name in which you remember me by is something different._

Those pure, innocent and untainted memories that she made while being―

"Sakura."

No. He couldn't possibly.

Sakura turned around nervousness and fear building up inside of her. _What? _She couldn't hide the dumbfounded expression that was already present on her face when she turned around to face him. "What did you say?"

Sasuke mentally cursed himself. Why did he say that? He didn't know why he chose the name of his fiancée when she gave him the option of calling her whatever he wanted. It suddenly… just… came out. He couldn't understand it. Why **her **name? Why did he have to say **her **name? Oh well… it didn't matter anymore. He already said it. There was no turning back now.

"Sakura, can I call you… Sakura?" He turned away, slightly blushing in embarrassment.

Sakura immediately noticed Sasuke's embarrassment and giggled as she averted her gaze to the Cherry Blossom tree that held no petals because of the coldness of winter. Her giggles, however, somehow ceased and turned into tears as she realized that she was extremely happy about what he said.

She couldn't understand it. Why she was happy… yet sad at the same time? She smiled, and yet… she wanted to cry. Why? Of all the names that he could call her, why did he have to think of that? Was she being hypocritical when she completely deceiving him when all of the odds where already against her?

But even so, she still wanted to keep it that way. She knew that it was only a matter of time before her life will turn upside down, but for now, she wanted to enjoy the moment when none of that mattered.

She nodded her head, when she couldn't bring herself to speak. She couldn't bear to look at him―or she might break down and cry in front of him. Because of the mixed feelings that she was overwhelming inside her, she started laughing as she continued to try. The tears just wouldn't stop.

She immediately wiped the tears away in fear of him noticing it. After taking a deep breath, she finally said, "Okay."

* * *

It was so cold. She wrapped her arms around herself and started rubbing her arms in hope that the friction will somehow heat her body up and relieve her body some warmth. She had money, no cellphone―nada. She had no way of going back home in this weather.

She was tempted to go back and wait for Sakura, but that will just blow her cover. She wasn't supposed to know about her step sister's little date with her fiancée.

Who cares! She'll just pretend that she got lost and had no way of getting home. But how would she explain the loss of her purse, cell phone and being stranded in the streets by her chauffeur? Ugh, this was so wrong! It was cold and the wind was chilly, making her shiver. She shouldn't be here―freezing.

She didn't know what to do anymore. She couldn't believe that she was in this kind of situation. How embarrassing. If only…

"Hey."

That voice. She knew that voice. What was he doing here?

* * *

Already? It was time already. She didn't want to go home. Not yet. She didn't want to go back to the way things were before. She took a momentarily glance towards Sasuke, turning away when she felt heat rising up her cheeks.

_Not yet_, she thought.

"Let's go," Sasuke uttered so suddenly that Sakura couldn't respond until he took her hand, dragging her away.

The intimacy of his actions didn't register in her mind when all she could think about was why they were already leaving. She yanked her hand away from his grip so swiftly and aggressively that Sasuke turned around to see what was wrong.

No, no, no―she didn't want to go yet. She knew that she was acting like a child, but she didn't care. Because she knew that if they left now…

"What's the matter?" There was a slight pause. He didn't wait for her to answer, when he knew that he wouldn't get one. "Let's go." This time, he didn't wait for her, and just started walking away.

"Wait," Sakura's voice abruptly stopped him in his tracks. "You know what's going to happen if we leave now, right?"

… It will be certain they wouldn't see each other again.

"We won't see each other again." She couldn't hide the disappointment and sadness she felt. "That's why… I―"

"I don't get it." He didn't know whether he should be angry or annoyed. "First you tell me that there is no point in telling me your name since we won't see each other again―and now it sounds like you want to see me again." Sasuke laughed at the irony, "Which one is it?"

"I… I―that wasn't…" Sakura quivered nervously. She was loss for words. She didn't even realize…

"So does that mean you're going to tell me your name?"

"No," Sakura protested firmly. Despite how bad she looked in the situation, she refused to give in. Her pride and stubbornness continued to prevent her from doing the right thing.

"Then why should I see you again if you refuse to tell me one small thing?" Sasuke was losing his patience. What was with this girl? She was so annoyingly stubborn.

"Because…" She tried to think of a plausible reason, but none surfaced. "Because… I don't―I can't tell you." That was the best reason she could make. She tried to sound convincing by adding, "… Not yet," in a weak whisper.

Sasuke sighed. With a shake of his head, he decided to end this pointless conversation once and for all. "I don't want to waste my time seeing a coward **and** a stranger." He made his words strong and clear. She was right. He didn't know anything about her. He shouldn't have bothered. He didn't want to linger with such a weak and frail little girl―no less, a stranger.

She knew he was going to leave, and if she didn't stop him now, their relationship would remain the same, and… she didn't want that. She couldn't understand it, but the longer she knew him, the more she wanted to be with him. She even wanted to tell him the truth―but… what would he think? She couldn't bring herself to image what he would say?

How can he affect her this way?

She didn't even know him before until they were engaged a few months ago and yet… he was the one she couldn't lie to the most. He easily broke her barrier―the barrier that she worked so hard to build. He broke it with just a simple sentence.

How can such a simple statement… hurt so much?

They weren't supposed to be involved in any way. They (unofficially) promised each other to break their engagement one way or another, meaning―they wouldn't have any attachment toward the other, but… she couldn't help it. He was actually making her think of dropping the mask that she fooled everyone with, hurting the people around her. He was making feel that she had to stop pretending that nothing was wrong and just face her problems head on. He had that much affect on her.

Why?

But… if she turned back now, everything will only get worse. She might even lose… everything. But… she had to start now. She had to be true to herself.

"Wait!" Right now, she would accept her feelings and stop him from leaving―no matter what. "I…" she took a deep breath. "It's because… I… I…" she was crying. It hurt so much. She didn't know if she could do it, but she had to, if she was going to have the strength to move on, she had to say it. "I like you―very much… so…" she sobbed, feeling tears flowing down her cheeks. "Is that enough… to make you stay?"

It was a gamble. It was a very risky gamble.

Sasuke smirked, "It seems you're not such a coward afterall, but," he paused, noticing the tense reaction that she gave him, "Do you think your feelings alone can make me stay?"

She was losing him. Soon enough, he would slip through her fingers and she wouldn't get a hold of him. She would be trapped inside the depth of the darkness of her soul. If she can't make him stay, then she would lose all confidence in herself. She wouldn't be able to forgive herself for what she did to Tsubasa. She wouldn't be able to move on.

This was her last gamble. If she could do this, then she could get the confidence to swim through her cowardice and face her sins.

"Then… would you stay if I tell you that you're right?" She was ready for it. She wasn't going to lie anymore. This might be the first time she was going to tell the truth. It was scary, but she was going to face it. She wasn't going to run away anymore.

Sasuke was taken aback. What?

"If I tell you that my name is Sakura."

_**TBC**_

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A/N: **Oh my gosh! Does Sasuke know now? Oh, the drama and the tension are too great! Hm, but does he really know? And about the pairing, Shikamaru x Temari, if you don't like it and can't read it, then I won't force you. I'm not a fan of Shikamaru x Ino despite the huge fanbase it has in this site.

I'll just let you guys enjoy this nice little preview of the next chapter. Enjoy the little teaser!

**

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Chapter 19―Leading to Learning**

She remained stiff at the feeling of his lips on hers. He was… he was really kissing her. What the…? Within her state of confusion, Sasuke took this chance to coax her mouth to open with a mere sensual lick on her lip.

She was too shocked to move, but could only moan as she felt Sasuke's tongue slowly explored the surroundings in her mouth, every curve in its cavern and savoring her unique taste. When she felt his tongue brush against hers, she couldn't help but shudder in pleasure.

God―with only a kiss and he was able to make her react this way! What was wrong with her?

**

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Updated: **July 8, 2008

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EDIT:** I fixed the Shikamaru's sections. Due to my lack of imagination in the past, I could only put 'troublesome' in his reactions. I know it's his trademark and all, but he's not that redundant. Other than that, the whole chapter didn't change. I only took out the unnecessary lines that only made the chapter longer.


	19. Leading to Learning

**Engagement On Hold**

**Summary:** (AU) Uchiha Sasuke is Konoha High's reigning prince. Haruno Sakura is…? Who is she again? What happens when the guy everybody knows finds himself engaged to the girl nobody knows?

**Genre: ** Romance/Humor/Drama

**Pairings:** Sasuke/Sakura, Naruto/Hinata, Shikamaru/Temari

**Author: ** pei-chan

**Disclaimer:** Wouldn't it be nice if Sasuke and Sakura were really engaged in the Naruto series? Then again, that would only occur in our dreams… ne?

**A/N: **Ehem, excuse… plot bunny was working but stress prevented me from getting everything typed. I was halfway when I started university, and didn't get the chance to finish. I thought it would take me a month to get used to it, and boy was I wrong! Haha, I'm still in a dilemma. No surprise there. Hopefully, I won't hear any unappreciative comments. Be thankful that I updated since I am behind school, and being behind just stresses you out. Also, it is my birthday this coming Saturday―I'm becoming an adult (18 people!), so it would be nice to have a few greetings instead of some negative comments. Oh wow, that means I get to write lemons! –cough-

Please excuse the all the typos and grammatical errors. I didn't have time to edit it right now since I have class in a couple of hours and my research assignment needs to be started or I will be screwed. I just wanted to be able to put this up as soon as possible so that you guys wouldn't wait anymore.

**Warning:** From this point on, the drama is going to start. There might only be slight humor in the upcoming chapters and hopefully it doesn't sound too depressing for some people out there.

Enjoy!

**

* * *

Chapter 19―Leading to Learning**

"Sasuke-sama, your father has called and he wants to speak to you," a voice sounded over the intercom.

Sasuke sighed as he continued to dry his hair with a towel. "Put him through," he briskly replied, throwing the towel nonchalantly to his bed. He walked over to his desk and pressed the speaker button.

"Hello, father," he greeted, carefully watching his tone.

"_Sasuke, how are things going on with your fiancée?_" Fugaku asked. There was no concern over his well being in school or any particular interest for his son's life. Fugaku immediately jumped into the topic of Sasuke's relationship with his fiancée, much to Sasuke's annoyance.

"The same as always," Sasuke replied, not bothering to lie to his father. It was his way to pay him back for this annoying phone call despite the consequences he might receive later.

"_You know that I dislike that attitude of yours, Sasuke._" Fugaku reprimanded sternly. "_What's more was that dinner with the Harunos was a total disgrace. Your actions towards your fiancée are unacceptable. You are engaged to be married and you should definitely act like one. That marriage counseling shouldn't have been necessary if you would just stop acting like a child and start focusing about your responsibilities as the heir._"

Sasuke could only agree, "Yes, father." There was nothing he could do, nothing he could say. Despite his desire to break the engagement, he couldn't bring himself to talk back to his father, knowing that this serious matter is something he will not be allowed to refuse.

"_I expect there to be improvement by the time I get back two weeks from now. Expect to hear from me again in a few days, Sasuke. I want to know how you are going to make things progress from now on._"

Yes, this matter is simply something he could not touch.

"Yes, father."

There was nothing left he could do, but to manipulate the other party to do it for him.

That was the only choice left that he had.

* * *

"… Uzumaki Naruto, you're going to be with Hyuuga Neji of 3-A." Kakashi finished with an amused smile marked on his face.

"WHAT! NO WAY―MAN!" Naruto exclaimed in shock, his voice succeeding in making a ringing echo in his classmates' ears.

"You're failing at least 6 out of 8 of your courses, so no matter how much you protest, Naruto, you're going to be in this program." Kakashi said, getting more entertained with the situation. Naruto's yelling and unnecessary side comments were nothing usual to him.

Hinata looked at Naruto worriedly, knowing her cousin's obvious dislike towards Naruto ever since he saw him. She was certain that that combination would only lead to disaster. If only she could tutor him instead. That way, she would be relieved of having an unnecessary trip to the hospital. Yes. That could be a solution.

"I'm not participating in your **damn** program!" Naruto stubbornly yelled. He had too much pride. He didn't need a damn tutor!

Sakura couldn't care less. This program―whatever it was―had nothing to do with her. A tutor wasn't necessary for her. She had one of the top marks in the class; there was no need for her to worry. Naruto's argument with Kakashi-sensei didn't really interest her. She was more interested with the side conversations going around the classroom.

"Uzumaki Naruto is failing?"

"No way!" A female student gasped.

"But I thought he said that he was a scholarship student?"

A male student just laughed, "You believe what that loser says?"

"He's all talk anyway. It's not like he's smart enough to get any scholarships in this school," another male student added.

"Konoha has such a high standard for him to get one."

"How do you think he got in though…?"

Rumors. Just great. A permanent stain on Uzumaki Naruto's record in Konoha High. He'll be the talk of the school for a month. She could see it now 'Uzumaki Naruto―NOT a Scholarship Student' will be the topic in the bulletin boards and the headlines for the next month's newspaper. She hated rumors―no matter what it was about.

"You can't do anything about it. Actually it was your father who initiated the idea." Kakashi replied calmly, knowing that it would make Naruto shut up―even for a moment. "It will seem that most of you are failing your courses, this program was made so that you wouldn't slack off anymore."

"But how exactly can a tutoring program prevent us from slacking off?" Kiba asked, finding the loophole within the program. "Just because you guys initiate a program doesn't mean that we will show up for it. We could just ditch those tutors in every session, and you can't do anything about it."

"Not true," Kakashi responded coolly. "For every session that you make with your tutor, they will mark attendance and your punctuality. You have to meet with them every week until the end of the year and if you either skip or be tardy for those sessions, we'll bring your final mark down to 30% and give the deducted marks to your tutors for their time and effort of helping you out."

"WHAT!" The class groaned out. "No way," some yelled in disbelief.

"You can't do that! Our parents won't allow it." An aggravated student interjected.

Kakashi stood up and chuckled lightly, "But your parents have already agreed to the matter. We contacted them and told them about it, and they were happy enough to give us their consent to do this if you slackers don't participate in the program."

"That's not fair!"

"How can they do that?"

Kakashi sighed. Can't their complaining stop? It was pointless anyway. There was no way they could prevent themselves from participating. "Whining is pointless, so may I continue?"

"That old man," Naruto gritted his teeth in irritation. How dare him! What kind of father did things like this to his own child?

Hinata sensed Naruto's discomfort and couldn't help but worry. _Naruto-kun…_

"Hyuuga Hinata with Leung Tenten of 3A."

Hearing her name, Hinata snapped out of her worried trance and faced the front. "What?"

"You're going to be tutored by Leung Tenten, Hinata-san," Sai whispered, realizing Hinata's inattentive response.

"Eh?" Hinata couldn't believe it. Why was she in it too? Was she failing as well?

_That can't be_, Sakura wondered. She knew that Hinata wasn't a failure. She might be an average student, but she didn't need to have a tutor or be in this troublesome program. Determined to find out what was going on, she raised her hand to clear this matter up.

"Yes, Haruno-san," Kakashi immediately noticed her, seeing that she was one of the only polite students that didn't make side comments that would contribute to the noise in the classroom. After long days of ignoring and embarrassing his student by not knowing her name, he was finally able to remember her last name at the least.

"I believe that Hyuuga Hinata isn't a student who is one the verge of failing, she might be an average student, but that doesn't mean that she needs a tutor," Sakura pointed out, defending her best friend the trouble of wasting her time with unnecessary things.

"I am clearly aware of Hyuuga Hinata's capabilities, but this matter is something her family arranged and agreed upon," Kakashi explained. Seeing that Sakura couldn't think of an intellectual response that could escalate their argument, he looked at the paper on his desk once more and read the preceding names on the list.

Hinata was shocked. Her father would actually put her in this program and all because being average wasn't good enough. She couldn't believe it. She hated this. No matter how hard she tried, she wasn't good enough. She was never good enough.

Sakura was speechless and bewildered. _What the hell…?_

"Arisugaki Sai," Kakashi called out.

"Yes," Sai immediately replied at hearing his name.

"You will be tutored by Uchiha Sasuke."

The class's reaction was immediate.

"WHAT!" Most of the girls in the class exclaimed in shock.

"Sasuke-kun is tutoring someone?"

"How can that be?"

"I thought we can only be tutored by seniors."

"I want to be tutored by Sasuke-kun," a girl whined, making Sakura roll her eyes.

"Me too!"

Sai merely smiled. Things are becoming very interesting. It wasn't what he wanted, but ― he glanced at Sakura before quickly looking back at the front, so that he wouldn't be caught staring ― it'd do.

Sakura turned to look at the empty desk behind her. He wasn't here yet. Was he absent? _Sasuke…_

"But seeing that Sasuke isn't here yet, I like you to brief him about the program when he gets back Arisugaki-san―"

Before Sai could respond, the classroom door opened, and Uchiha Sasuke stepped inside and went over to his seat without a mutter of apology of being late.

Sakura could feel her heart beat in her chest as her fiancée came closer and closer. Her mind went back toward the moment when she revealed her identity to him. Did he really not know who she was or was that all an act?

_**Flashback**_

"Your name is… Sakura?" Sasuke merely stared at her, completely dumbfounded by her confession.

Despite the anxious situation she was in, she was able to bring out a smile and slowly nod to him. She could feel it. She was on the verge of crying. She knew it was over. There was no use in hiding it now. She might as well blurt out the truth. Lowering her head as her tears defiantly cascaded down her cheeks, she said, "I… I―"

Time stopped for her when she felt a hand pat the top of her head.

"It's a nice name," Sasuke's soothing voice reached her ears like the soft tune of the rustling of leaves.

What? What was he saying? Keeping her head down because her tears were now falling uncontrollably, she asked, trying not to sob, "What are you saying?"

"It suits you, Sakura."

No. _Don't say my name like that._ Why did he have to say that of all things? If he already knew that it was _her_, why won't he just say so? Why did he say those words that will surely move her heart and make her cry?

She was supposed to hate him, but…

She turned around, afraid that he was going to see her cry.

If he continued on being like this…

Damn, she was crying again. She closed her eyes as her vision started becoming blurry, only to have her tears freed from their restraints as she felt a teardrop down her cheek.

… She would surely fall in love with him.

_**End of Flashback**_

She blushed at the memory of it. She shook her head in dismay. How could she have been so stupid? What had she done? Oh great.

As she heard the sound of his footsteps, she took a peek at him walking closer towards her. But still… she couldn't understand why he did that. Why did he say such things as if he didn't have a clue to what she meant?

He should have figured out by then… her real identity.

_**Flashback**_

"Don't tell me, you're crying again" Sasuke stated, as he watched her motionless back.

He heard a small laugh.

"Who's crying, idiot," Sakura scoffed, biting her lip to stop a sob from coming out.

"Liar," Sasuke muttered with slight annoyance, "It's quite clear that you **are** crying."

Sakura laughed at his stubbornness, "Are you always this persistent?"

"Are you always this annoying?" He shot back towards her.

"You're so stupid," she cussed quietly, trying to get herself angry at him just for those tears to stop. _Damn it, stop crying already. _Stupid guy! He always had this affect on her… making her feel weak.

"Embarrassed?" Sasuke teased with a chuckle.

Sakura was appalled. This guy―really had no shame! How dare he insult a crying, _**helpless**_ girl… er―hey! She was definitely **not** helpless! That was it; she was going to make him pay! How dare he insult her and comfort her and then infuriate her for the whole day. _Unpredictable bastard!_

Feeling relief that her crying had ceased―thanks to Sasuke's snide comments―she whirled around to give him a piece of her mind only to be rendered speechless when she felt his warm lips against her own.

_**End of Flashback**_

"… and Haruno Sakura."

Sakura's head snapped back to reality when her name was called. "Huh?"

"You will be tutoring Inuzuka Kiba," Kakashi repeated with a sigh, slightly annoyed at his student's lack of attention span.

Before Sakura could even react, Kiba abruptly stood up from his seat and exclaimed, "WHAT!"

"Don't get me started again," Kakashi rubbed his aching temples. There was too much yelling. "You already know that there is no point for you to protest, so just suck it up and do what you have all been assigned to do."

Kakashi took note of the glares and speechlessness of the class and smiled in contentment. He continued reciting the rest of the names on the list. After getting through the rest of the list, he said, "You will now take the rest of the period to talk to your tutors/tutees about when and where you will be meeting, and other necessary things that will ensure that your tutees will pass."

"Keh, whatever―I'll just skip," Kiba muttered as he approached Sakura's desk.

_Great, I think I'll need to pack some Advil from now on,_ Sakura thought with a sigh.

* * *

"You must be joking. There is no way I'm tutoring that dunce."

The class was speechless. Hyuuga Neji. **The** Hyuuga Neji was complaining. That… has never happened before.

Anko smirked, excited with the challenging glare that the prodigy was making. "Well, you can forget tutoring if you want, but if he doesn't improve by the end of the year, 50% of your final mark will be given to him so he could pass."

Neji scoffed, "You guys don't scare me. Those are only empty words. It's not like you could do something like that."

Anko paused in chewing her gum midway at the sly remark, _Well then, isn't this interesting._

* * *

"I'm glad that you're the one I have to tutor Hinata. I can't imagine what I'll do if I had Naruto as my tutee. I might have to restrain myself from strangling him." Tenten started wringing her hands on an imaginary Naruto in thin air, as if she was already committing the deed.

Hinata laughed at the comical action her friend was making. "He's not that bad Tenten-chan," she defended with a smile.

Tenten sighed in realization, "I forgot. You like him ne, Hinata-chan?"

Hinata's response was immediate as a blush made her pale complexion cherry red.

"But I kinda feel bad for the guy, since Neji seemed really opposed to tutoring him," Tenten said, remembering how Neji protested for the first time in class.

She knew it. She knew her cousin wouldn't agree to it. It made her wonder what was happening to them now. _Naruto-kun…_

* * *

Naruto cringed at the sight of the intense glare that his tutor was giving him. Why him? Why did it have to be him of all people? Oh well, he just had to deal with it. _Ignore it. Pretend that nothing is wrong and you'll be fine_, he reassured himself.

"So…" he nervously asked, "when do we start?"

The sudden smirk Neji had told Naruto that his nightmare was just about to begin.

_Why! Help me, Hinata-chan!_

* * *

"You already know that there is no point for us to have this conversation, right?" Kiba stated, smugly laying his feet comfortably on Sakura's table.

Sakura could only sneer in disgust before replying with a light laugh, "So you're saying you're willing to give me a perfect 100% without even breaking a sweat; how thoughtful of you."

"I don't care," Kiba grumbled stubbornly.

"They're going to deduct those percentages from your grade in addition you know. So, not only will you fail but you'll also fail with possibly a 35% average if you're lucky and they're being generous." Sakura smiled; delighted that it was going to annoy Kiba even more. "Isn't that great," she giggled, definitely wanting to irritate him.

"WHAT!" Kiba struggled to regain his balance when he almost fell out of his chair. "Since when will that happen?"

"You don't listen, do you," Sakura shook her head and chuckled at her tutee's inattentiveness.

"I don't believe you," Kiba glared at Sakura, thinking that she was making some sick joke. It was definitely **not **funny.

"That's okay," Sakura stood up from her seat and started walking away, "The easier it'll be for me to get a 100% in all my courses. I won't even need to break a sweat. Thank you for that."

Before she could get too far, a hand grabbed her arm preventing her from leaving. She smiled, knowing who it was.

He sighed, knowing there was no way out of this, "Okay fine… place and time…"

* * *

"As usual, it's already lunch," Ami shook her head in disappointment. "You miss too many classes. That's why they had no choice but to give you a tutor. Any more and you'll be repeating the year again."

Aki and Aya giggled in mockery.

Ino choose to ignore the latent insult behind Ami's words and asked, "Tutor?"

"It's a new program that the school made to help the **unfortunate** people who lack talent and potential to pass and get good grades," Ami answered haughtily.

_A tutoring program huh, _Ino thought in wonder. "Who's my tutor then?"

"Like I'll remember," Ami scoffed. "There's no point in remembering the name of a guy who isn't Sasuke-kun," she sighed dreamily.

"And Itachi-kun as well," Aya added passionately.

Ino fought the urge to roll her eyes, _They're all so one dimensional._

* * *

"You know that glaring at me isn't going to get us anywhere."

"Your mere presence is pissing me off," Sasuke replied with a snarl.

Sai chuckled, pleased by Sasuke's annoyance. "Your jealousy is rather amusing."

Sasuke scoffed at his accusation, "Who ever said I was jealous of you? I just don't like you. Period."

"That's too bad then―this tutoring program is going to get you stuck with me for the rest of the year. You just have to deal with my presence―shall we say… everyday, perhaps?" Sai purposely suggested, knowing that the Uchiha would definitely oppose. Before Sasuke could even do so, Sai added an excuse that would back his tutor into a corner. "I really do need a review on our everyday lessons since I can't seem to understand them. The teaching method in this school is somewhat different for me."

Sasuke could only growl and glare at him in response. _Bastard._

* * *

"So it's you again, huh?" He sighed.

Temari sent him a glare for his impolite actions. "How about shutting up and sitting down so we can get this over with?"

As Shikamaru did what was _asked _of him (without murmuring how troublesome this whole thing was while doing so), he couldn't help but perk up with interest at the information on the piece of paper that was on top of his desk.

Picking the paper up, looking at it more closely to identify what it was. When he realized what it was, he sighed in annoyance, "Why are we doing this now?"

"I want to test you so that I'll know next time what you need help on," Temari glared at him, annoyance building up inside her, and his tiny complaints were only making it hard for her not to just scream at him to just do the stupid sheet.

"Can't you just ask me? It's not like I don't know what I need help on."

Another complaint. Can't he just do the damn thing so that it would over?

Temari had to restrain herself from yelling at her student right then and there.

"But that doesn't matter since I don't need your help," he said, pushing the paper towards her.

He doesn't need her help! What! Was he mocking her teaching skills? That was it!

"Are you mocking ME!" Temari slammed her fists on the desk and yelled, startling Shikamaru at her sudden outburst.

Women. He didn't even say he was mocking her. Damn. Why did they have to yell so much? He recalled his mother constantly yelling at him. Women were always yelling and it was driving him insane. "How troublesome," he murmured with a sigh.

His little side comment did not help, but it only became a catalyst that made Temari finally blow off.

"WHAT DID YOU SAY!"

Really, they weren't going to get anywhere with this yelling.

* * *

"This is your entire fault," Kiba complained for the tenth time.

Sakura shook her head in exasperation, "You told me that already."

Kiba once again ignored her comment and continued rambling on, "Because you're such a goody-goody-two-shoes, I got involved in this stupid errand."

Sakura had the last straw. "If you hate it so much, then why don't you just leave?"

"Don't mind if I do," Kiba grinned, completely keen to take her offer. He spun around and started walking the opposite direction, uncaring that he was going to leave Sakura to do all of those by herself.

Before he could get far, Sakura added slyly, "Then I'll just go tell the principal how you ditched me."

He froze in his tracks at hearing the words 'tell', 'principal' and 'ditch'.

"Maybe then, you wouldn't need to come to tutoring sessions anymore since you'll automatically give me a 100% in my courses." Sakura laughed, "You really **are** generous, aren't you?" She was expecting him to stop being stubborn and give up, but when she heard a chuckle behind her, she became confused.

Kiba cursed himself from not realizing his sooner. "You seem really eager to tutor me. I don't get it though. Why do you want to tutor me so badly?" It was her mistake for using that technique twice. This time, he was able to notice the flaw of her threats. "Have you fallen for me?" He smirked at the thought. Not that she was his type. Geeks, or rather, unattractive geeks weren't his type. That didn't matter though, since the mere knowledge of someone liking him flattered him.

What do you know… he can attract even an invisible geek. Thinking that this girl's interest was on him and not towards the prodigy of his class, Uchiha Sasuke, flattered him.

Sakura smiled, debating whether to laugh out loud or just mock him mentally. She chose the later. "No, I just enjoy tormenting you, that's all." _For all the moments you kept yelling and yelling in the classroom, preventing me from learning anything._ "Why bother giving you the easy way of failing when you can suffer in our everyday lessons?" Sakura spoke confidently with a smile.

A smile that annoyed and freaked Kiba out to no end.

_Bitch_, Kiba thought in disdain. 'Everyday lesson' period? Damn, this girl was really going to torture him, and what he hated the most was that he wouldn't be able to complain about it. This girl was really a bitch!

While cursing and wishing for his tutor to die a million deaths, Kiba didn't notice that Sakura had stopped walking at was staring at an empty classroom, or so he thought.

"What are you doing standing there for? Let's go," Kiba grumbled in annoyance, thinking that this was another one of those moments that she was trying to mess with him―and succeeded in doing so to his distaste.

Sakura disregarded the jumbling thoughts in her head and tell herself that it was none of her business. When she looked back at Kiba, his annoyed expression told her to get a move on. Nodding mildly, she decided to get on her way but was abruptly stopped when she heard a voice.

"Sakura-san, what brings you here at this hour?"

Damn, she was noticed. Here she thought that she could get on her way and leave them alone before she could attract their attention. Well, it wasn't _his_ attention she wanted. Not bothering to answer his question, since she believed that it wasn't any of **this **guy's business to pry into whatever she was doing, she shot his question back to him. "How 'bout you? Shouldn't you be going home by now?"

"Well, since Sasuke-san here was uncooperative this morning, we weren't able to decide when we're going to have our tutoring sessions. I believed that he could've cooled off by the end of the day, so we decided to meet right now, after school was over." Sai answered without any hesitation to tell her the situation.

Sakura took a glance and noticed the scornful glare that her fiancée gave Sai as he walked out of the classroom from behind him.

"Come on already, I don't want to stay here any longer," Kiba complained, alerting everyone of his presence. Yes, he was still there.

Sakura had almost forgotten that he was there when Sai had suddenly come out to greet her.

"I want to get this over and done with so I can go home. I am not willing to stay any longer for these _dumb _errands that you do all the time," Kiba repeated, elaborating his complaint to prove a point.

Sakura growled in annoyance. It seemed that he always succeeded in irritating her the same way Naruto does. "I do NOT do this all the time! It just happened today―dimwit!" Honestly, why does everyone think of her as a geek who strived to be a teacher's pet? Like hell―they didn't even notice her before!

They only started noticing her after the word got out that she was second to the highest in their whole grade this year. She was only behind by three points from the Uchiha who had always been in first place.

"Yeah right," Kiba snorted, completely believing that she was lying to him.

Sakura was about to make another retort, but someone has beaten her to the punch.

"How about I accompany Sakura-san instead?"

Sakura couldn't believe her ears. What did this guy just said? No way! She wanted to protest no, and when she saw Kiba's beaming expression at the suggestion, she **definitely** wanted to protest―

HELL NO!

"I'll be willing to help you instead, Sakura-san, since Kiba-san really wants to go home," Sai smiled, enjoying the frown that she gave him. He knew that she couldn't protest when Kiba was so unwilling to come with her in the first place.

Sakura wanted to get away. This guy was really pissing her off! What? Did he want to have a private time just to insult her or something? She didn't even do anything to him, and he still continued to mistreat her―not that she cared. She was relieved to know what this man's true colors were, but she didn't understand why he was only mean towards her. She didn't understand.

Did she do something to him?

The mystery only gave her more reasons to stay away from the guy, and she definitely didn't want to spend any time **alone **with him.

"Besides, I want to talk to Sakura-san anyway," Sai took action by grabbing Sakura's arm when someone pulled her away from his grasp.

Sakura couldn't help but gasp at the forceful tug that dragged her away from Sai when she noticed his hand about to touch her. She was shocked―not because of what Sai tried to do―but at who pulled her away.

She looked at her fiancée wide-eyed, her arm turning cold in his grasp. She has almost forgotten that he was there. Since she didn't hear him say anything, she assumed that he had left them alone and went somewhere. She didn't expect him to be her savior. Wait… savior? Was that even the right term? She knew that he wouldn't do such a thing―ever! Then why…?

"I'll do it," Sasuke spoke coolly, despite knowing that his previous uncharacteristic actions earned him everyone's attention.

_Huh? _Sakura was bewildered. "Eh?" She muttered as she blushed at his statement. No… way…

Was she dreaming?

Sai smirked, knowing that that blank look was definitely challenging him. He knew that the Uchiha was really glaring at him inside. _Trying to look cool in front of his 'princess' eh?_ He laughed at the thought.

Sakura was confused at hearing Sai laugh so suddenly. What was so funny?

Kiba merely looked at Sai like he was crazy. _He's becoming a lunatic._

Yes, he was still there.

Sasuke watched as Sai started walking away from them, his eyes narrowing as he purposely brushed passed Sakura.

"Well, maybe next time then." That was all he said and he left without another word.

With Sai already gone and forgotten, Sakura mind was left to ponder what had just occurred. She was speechless. She still couldn't understand what just happened.

Kiba watched the two with mild interest. He was on the verge of walking away, since somebody had already gladly taken his role of accompanying Sakura. However, the sudden interference that the Uchiha made convinced him to stay and see what the guy would do. He believed he made the right choice, since he finally saw a different side of the human ice block that he has never shown to others before. He smirked in anticipation; he couldn't wait to bug the guy about it during lunch tomorrow.

Finally―he was going to get a reaction from the guy that he would surely find entertaining!

He noticed that the two remained silent as they now stared at each other as if they were in their own little world. It made him wonder if the two were together―a hidden relationship perhaps?

She blinked in confusion. Why did he do that for? She didn't get it. He would look like he didn't ever care about her presence when he saw her at first, and next thing she knew, he would act like―

Her eyes widened at the thought.

―Like he was her boyfriend, but that didn't make sense. He didn't usually act like this in front of her (not including the other incident she had with Sai when Sasuke had punched him).

That didn't make sense.

He wouldn't do something like this. It wasn't like him. Unless…

A chill ran through her spine at the thought.

Does he really know?

It couldn't be. Was he pretending like he didn't know at that time?

"You're an idiot," Sasuke spoke calmly, breaking thought Sakura's trail of thought. "If you didn't want him to accompany you, then just say so."

Her gaze shifted and scrunched into a wary expression. What the hell? Now he was insulting her―she couldn't understand.

What was he trying to pull?

"Or maybe," he smirked just with the thought of it, "You wanted me to come and save you."

A vein throbbed on her forehead because of his arrogant statement. That was it!

"Me? Want to be _saved_ by you," she exclaimed, appalled by his statement, "you wish!"

Sasuke chuckled, "then why couldn't you move or say anything back then." He smirked once more at the sight of many complicated expressions that she was making.

With a growl, she swung her hand towards his face with every intent of slapping him. This guy always knew how to piss her off! She only became angrier when he was able to grab her hand before it reached his face. This bastard…

"There you go again," he muttered coolly, "You're trying to hit me again."

And he definitely deserved it. She hated the fact that she couldn't figure him out. What was he feeling? What was he thinking? He was so difficult to understand, and not knowing what his real intentions were and if he really meant the words he was saying was hurting her.

What if he was merely toying with her?

She could've sworn she saw a shift on his facial expression, but it was already gone just moments after she saw it.

Kiba sighed. If he didn't alert them of his presence, he had a feeling that they would completely ignore him. "Sorry to ruin or interrupt your lover's quarrel" ―his eye caught sight of Sasuke releasing his grip on her hand and the two immediately lowering their hands to their sides― "but since I really got to get going, I'll leave you two alone to sort out your dilemma."

Sakura unconsciously blushed from hearing the word 'lover'. _Do we look like we're together―no!_

Sasuke remained as impassive as he was before.

Kiba became disappointed. As he approached them to get a closer look at their facial expressions, he noticed the way Sakura blushed in a tint that was almost the same color as her hair and Sasuke's indifference towards his blatant observation. He mentally sighed, _Maybe it wouldn't be as easy as I thought. _Oh well, he was willing to take what he could get. Maybe next time…

"I'll be looking forward to our lessons, sensei." He couldn't sustain the chuckle as he passed by the couple, blatantly showing his intentions.

Sakura flushed―her embarrassment long gone and now replaced with strong feelings of irritation. He wouldn't dare! "Idiot! Don't even think about it!"

Kiba only laughed, particularly not caring about the possible ways she could torture him if he did try to mess with her. It didn't matter, since he finally had a way to piss her off that would surely replace his annoyance with amusement.

"I'll let you two be alone for your private time with each other." This was his last smug comment before he finally left the two alone.

_Asshole_, Sakura cussed mentally, glaring at Kiba's back as he walked away. Private moment alone―as if they needed that! It wasn't like they were together or anything. In face, they both had the desire to break their engagement, provoking the other into doing so.

That's right! He didn't like her in any way. That was one of the main reasons why he was always mean to her. That was why she definitely didn't understand why he acted that way towards her.

Maybe… it was all just an act.

_**Flashback**_

She remained stiff at the feeling of his lips on hers. He was… he was really kissing her. What the…? Within her state of confusion, Sasuke took this chance to coax her mouth to open with a mere sensual lick on her lip.

She was too shocked to move, but could only moan as she felt Sasuke's tongue slowly explored the surroundings in her mouth, every curve in its cavern and savoring her unique taste. When she felt his tongue brush against hers, she couldn't help but shudder in pleasure.

God―with only a kiss and he could make her react this way! What was wrong with her?

Her mind was in a haze. How did this happen again? Why was he kissing her again? The only thing she could remember was that after he called her annoying he suddenly pulled her towards him and kissed her.

When she felt his hand slide towards her hair, enclosing his fingers with her glossy and smooth stands, he couldn't help but moan when he pushed her head closer towards his even though there wasn't any other possible way of closing the gap since they were already connected in a lip lock.

Damn his forceful nature!

But a small part of her was actually cheering, delighted with his forcefulness.

Was she already responding? She didn't know. All she knew was to feel―to continue enjoying the feeling of being kissed by Sasuke.

Wait.

"_I only kissed you so that we could finally get out of that pathetic situation. If I didn't let them see what they wanted to see, then we would've been asked to do many more stupid things."_

That kiss had meant nothing… and yet, the way he kissed her was enough that it swept her off her feet.

Did this kiss mean the same thing?

All her common sense returned to her after realizing this.

Did this kiss also mean nothing?

Slowly and gently, she pulled away from him and was thankful that he didn't ignore her desire to stop the kiss, knowing that if she did continue to kiss him, her common sense might actually permanently leave her until she would tend to regret it all afterwards.

It was all a lie. Wasn't it? It was all nothing but a lie.

So then…

This lie will come to an end and the good dream it gave along with it.

And―

Because of her mind preoccupied with pessimist thoughts, the sudden feeling of his hands cupping her face made her gasp in shock and in pleasure at the feeling of it. Her eyes lost its focus when she felt his head tilt her head up to meet his gaze.

"I want…" he trailed off, cutting himself short with a sigh. He couldn't bring himself to say it. He would never say such things… but today… he would make an exception. Taking into mind the wonderful longing emotion that her eyes reflected he assured himself.

Yes, today would be an exception.

But wording it out would be a different matter entirely.

He took away his hold over her face and wrapped them around her small frame once more. He buried his head over the crook of her neck and inhaled her subtle fragrant scent. A soothing scent. He lifted his head and brought his lips over her ear, barely touching it as if to tease her.

When he felt her shudder―just the reaction he was longing to see―he had to hold himself back from doing something unnecessary. "I want to see you again."

All her doubts about the current situation vanished after hearing those words. The words that she said to him many times today―he finally said it.

Maybe it wasn't a dream after all. It had always been reality.

This was real.

_**End of Flashback**_

But it seemed that it wasn't real enough to change their situation. It wasn't enough to change this relationship that they had. They were still unwillingly engaged and were both willing to break the unwanted affair. They remained strangers at school—well, almost strangers anyway—since they rarely saw each other throughout the day. They weren't friends, nor were they a couple. They didn't even have a relationship to start with—let alone some impetus to change that same non-existent relationship.

He still acted the same towards her; therefore, so should she. He was the same annoying and egotistical bastard that she was engaged to, so she shouldn't act any different. After all, he didn't know that the girl he met yesterday was her.

But that didn't mean that she shouldn't thank him.

"Even though what you did was unnecessary… thank you," she tried to sound ungrateful only feeling her cheeks heating up. She turned her face away to avoid him from noticing her red tinted cheeks. The last thing she needed was another teasing remark that would surely piss her off, knowing that the negative reaction would last for the whole day.

Sasuke could only feel the smirk forming at the sight of her blushing and uneasy expression. He was about to reach his hand to touch her but stopped himself midway, snapping out of his daze. What the hell was he doing?

He shook his head, dismissing his earlier actions. It was best to forget about it now.

He took the chance to distance himself from her to prevent any other future temptations that might occur. He returned to teasing her, getting back to the subject at hand. "It seems that you're trying your best just to deny that I didn't save you," he chuckled. He decided that this was the time to leave since she would start shouting after him.

Rage boiled inside her. That topic again. When was he going to let that one go? Damn him. That bastard! "I told you already that you did not** save **me! Who ever said such things?"

* * *

Ugh, couldn't he stop bothering her. Why couldn't he just answer those damn questions without bothering her? "I told you already, I know what I'm doing! Just finish the damn sheet!"

Shikamaru ignored her protests. "Sure you do," he drawled in derision. He pointed towards her paper once more, "You got this one wrong. Your formula's all wrong. You added this part wrong," he knowingly pointed to one part of the paper, "and this one wrong."

Temari was beyond pissed. "How dare you say such a thing! I'm the tutor here―so obviously I know what I'm doing!"

"Right," he nodded sarcastically. "How about doing it again so we'll see who's right? I can't have a tutor that makes so many tiny mistakes."

_Well―excuse me!_ She huffed in annoyance. Deciding to show him that she definitely knew what she was doing, she looked over the answer sheet once more.

Shikamaru only looked at her and turned away after seeing the reaction he predicted. He told her already, but she wouldn't listen. Oh well, that's her problem.

Her hands gripped the paper in her hands tighter that it wrinkled. No way. How can this happen? Damn him! This guy was much smarter than her! Her hand twitched, feeling her anger rising. Why does that thought piss her so **damn **much! She looked at him in disbelief. She couldn't believe that he was able to point out her mistakes―his own senpai's mistakes! Those mistakes that even the teachers somehow missed (she was able to get away from it sometimes), but this guy―was able to point it out like it was nothing!

Shikamaru could guess what that bewildered stare was all about. Still, that wasn't what mattered though. Her stare was still making him quite uncomfortable. He was thinking of telling her off to stop looking at him so weirdly, when she stopped him from his trail of thought.

"I don't believe it," Temari whispered in disbelief.

Ah yes, he's heard of that before.

"You can't be smart; you don't even look like it."

He's heard of that too.

"How can that be?"

Can't this woman say something original.

"But you look so boring."

Why can't she… wait. Did she just say…? Huh? How the hell is that related to anything?

"You look like a person who would lie down all day and would be content on doing absolutely nothing―a typical lazy, boring idiot!" Temari yelled pointing at him accusingly. Hm, maybe it was his intellect? Ah yes, that was the one.

Now she was calling him an idiot. Jezz, women and their mood swings. You can never tell what they would say next. They could always come up with some bizarre things to say.

"Why the hell? How can you be smart?"

Like that. Honestly, who accuses people of being smart now in complete doubt in a span of 10 minutes straight without being tired, or better yet, letting it go since a person's natural gift is completely unpredictable and varied throughout every individual―this case being one of many out there. Then again he shouldn't forget that there was one standing right in front of him right at this moment.

Suddenly, the bewildered expression on her features disappeared replacing a smug smile.

Okay… now he was completely at loss. This woman was beyond unpredictable.

"I get it now," Temari chuckled suspiciously.

He didn't like the sound of that.

"You're lazy, that's why."

Shikamaru sighed, not knowing whether it was from relief or annoyance. "Thank you for noticing the obvious." He was sure he was going to get another fit of yelling, but it may have seemed that he was wrong when he saw a smile form on her smug expression.

"Don't worry, by the end of the year that problem will be fixed."

Was it just him or did that smile just turned into a smirk.

"Looks like we have some work to do," Temari stated amusingly with anticipation.

Why did he not like the sound of that?

_How troublesome._

* * *

Confused? No, that wasn't it. Puzzled? No, it can't be that either. What was that word again? Shocked! Yes, that was it! He had been doing this to her for the past few days. It was as if he wasn't himself… the same arrogant fiancée of hers that made her want to slug him with her fist.

She couldn't understand him. He had never failed to make her heart skip a beat whenever he acted nice and caring towards her. It was subtle, but yet, it made her feel as if…

"What did you say?" She asked once more, telling herself that it might be a trick.

"I'm not repeating myself," Sasuke responded, not bothering to show that he was annoyed of being asked that question again.

She quickened her pace to match his, deciding that maybe she did hear right. "You're actually bringing me home―really?"

"It's dark. I can't let you go home by yourself."

Sakura blinked. He had always been doing this to her. What he just said just now; it was as if it sounded like he actually cared about her. No! No! She should stop thinking like that. It would only get her hopes up. It wasn't like he said that he liked her or anything.

He was just being nice.

Yes, that was it.

The front doors of the school opened and they walked out of the building. She closed her eyes and inhaled the scent of fresh air. She felt relaxed like the she didn't feel so much pressure inside of her once more. It felt as if she could finally feel good about herself. She didn't feel guilty about receiving such kind actions from him anymore. She didn't want to admit it, but she wanted to be with him more often.

The feeling that he gave her…

She opened her eyes and felt herself smiling, but it immediately disappeared before it even had a chance to appear. Why? All of the pleasant feelings inside of her went down the drain like flowing water. All that was left was guilt―guilt that resurfaced after she saw that face.

Why was Ino here?

Why here? Why now?

Anticipation built up inside of her as she saw Ino coming towards them. Oh no, not now! She didn't want to face her yet. She didn't know how she was going to act around her, and it only made want to run away to get rid of the guilt stabbing her over and over. The pressure only increased and increased as Ino came closer, the pain made her cringe and she restrained herself from showing the distressed expression from showing on her face.

Despite the confrontation that Sakura was expecting to occur, Ino turned to Sasuke and said, "I want to talk to you."

Her chest felt lighter, somewhat relieved yet puzzled over being completely ignored by Ino.

Sasuke didn't feel that he had the time for this. "Go on," he grunted uninterestedly.

Not taking offence with his lack of concern about what she had to say, Ino turned around and faced Sakura, directing her glare and her firm annoyance towards her as she said crudely, "Alone if you don't mind."

Normally, one would be annoyed at being treated so crudely but knowing that she deserved to be treated that way by Ino, she nodded and directed her attention to her fiancée. "I'll best be going now, since you guys seem to have some important things to talk about." Knowing that she was going to feel even more out of place staying there any longer she smiled, and quickly bid the two of them farewell.

Ino waited until Sakura was an earshot distance away from them when suddenly Sasuke spoke.

"So, what is this about?" He looked at her calmly and patiently. He knew what this way about―just by the way she was acting before. It was only obvious.

Ino responded with the same amount of solemnity in her voice. "I want to talk to you about Sakura."

* * *

She stopped dead in her tracks when the thought struck her. Wait a minute. How could she have…? No. Why did she leave? Nervousness and stress struck her like lightning. Ino… knew who she was―How could she have forgotten that fact? Not only that, but Ino was going to speak to with her fiancée. The person that she… she…

Ino would tell him. She would tell him everything!

No! She couldn't let that happen! She didn't want him to know―know how soiled and dirty she was!

A sinner.

A dirty liar.

A selfish bitch.

She wanted to laugh out loud at what she was thinking because they were all true. She was all those things. She didn't deserve him, but despite all that, she wanted to feel (even just a little) that she deserved him. She wanted to be…

She stopped herself from turning around and running back towards her recent destination when she realized something.

… with him.

"It can't be…" she whispered. No, that wasn't possible. It couldn't be true. She couldn't be―

"Sakura-san," a familiar voice called out to her.

Relief washed over her, grateful that the voice stopped her from admitting something she knew she would regret for the rest of her life. Burying the matter in the depths of her mind to be able to focus in her surroundings and towards the person who had called her, Sakura greeted the stranger with a smile.

"Itachi-san, what could you be doing her so late?" She asked unknowingly polite, temporarily doing something she wouldn't normally do. To be polite with any of the Uchiha brothers was completely unacceptable.

"I could ask you the very same question," he stated, completely not answering Sakura's question.

Itachi's question seemed to have triggered the switch that brought Sakura back to reality since all the politeness in her voice dissipated and was abruptly replaced with sarcasm, "I was just going home actually."

Itachi noticed her erratic movements and calmly stated, "Well then, it seems as if you're trying to avoid me." He smirked when the look in her eyes confirmed this. "Aren't you?"

Sakura snobbishly turned away from him, "I have nothing to say to you."

"Oh but you do," Itachi chuckled knowingly, "At least you will soon."

"What the hell are you talking about?" Sakura glared at him suspiciously, strengthening her guard to be prepared with anything that he would throw at her. However, this only appeared to be a futile effort from what she heard him say.

"It seems that I am winning our bet, or maybe, I've already won" ―Sakura's eyes widened― "Since it appears that you have already fallen in love with him, am I right?" Itachi looked at her with interest, observing her body's response.

Sakura froze all over. She couldn't say anything. She remained motionless and speechless with her mind blank and empty.

Itachi took her silence as the response that he needed. "So I take that as a yes?"

"No!" Sakura suddenly yelled, making Itachi turned towards her from her sudden outburst. He was so sure that he had her. "That's not true!"

"Really now? That wasn't what you were telling me when you were with him this weekend?" Itachi explained, knowing full well that she was caught in a trap. She was completely denying it; he could completely tell from the look on her face. It didn't matter if he was telling her that he was spying on them since he knew that at this stage she would completely not notice it.

And he was completely right about that.

"I'm not―I'm not in love with him!" She protested strongly, but she knew that merely denying it would not be enough to convince him.

Itachi could only smile at her protest of denial. He could tell that she was lying to herself. "Then prove it to me. Prove it to me that you don't harbor those affections for my little brother."

Sakura's face lit up from the chance that was given to her to prove her case.

"But if you lose, then I win our bet," Itachi stated with calm confidence.

He could suddenly feel the fury of Sakura's strong determination. Hm, well isn't that interesting.

"And when I win, you will end this masquerade of yours and tell him who you really are," Itachi declared his condition that made Sakura choke in a silent gasp.

No…

* * *

"I'm not interested," Sasuke stated with disinterest.

Ino couldn't believe this. Wasn't he the one who asked her to do him a favour―since he was interested in Sakura? Now… what was this attitude? It was like he didn't care at all about her… and he was just with her just now.

Seriously, is there something wrong with this guy?

She really couldn't understand him.

When she noticed him passing by her, she cast all of her doubts aside and tried to persuade him. It didn't matter if he wasn't going to listen―she was going to tell him anyway.

"I told you that I have something to tell you about Sakura," Ino determinately repeated, trying to stop him from leaving.

Sasuke gave her a cold glare, "And I told you that I'm not interested."

Ino gave a sardonic laugh, "Weren't you the one that shamelessly asked me a favour about Sakura? I thought you were interested about her―"

"I don't care about that anymore," Sasuke responded quickly, cutting Ino off.

She couldn't believe this. He didn't care anymore. Just like that… his interest about Sakura was gone. What the hell! She couldn't understand it. Why would he suddenly…? She was about to give up when the thought struck her.

_I see… so that's what it is._

"It's her, isn't it?" Ino couldn't help but laugh at the irony of it. Unbelievable. "It's that girl that you met during the weekend, isn't it?"

Sasuke's eyes narrowed suspiciously, knowing complete well what she meant.

Ino, noticing the increased glare and coldness that Sasuke gave her defended, "I saw the two of you together and couldn't help but watch." At this point, she didn't care if he would call her a stalker, but she would get her point across towards him no matter what… even if her methods may be unacceptable. "You like her… don't you…? I could tell by looking at the two of you. You like her… a lot."

"I don't think it is any of your business what I do with my personal life, Yamanaka," Sasuke replied coldly, implying that she should stop this conversation now.

Ino ignored his warning and continued, "But it doesn't matter what you feel…" she paused, reminiscing the past, "…it's going to be the same anyway." She chuckled, knowing that the same thing was going to happen. Just like before.

"What are you talking about?" Sasuke asked, annoyed with the confusing things she was saying.

Ino sighed and decided to leave―knowing that it would only spark the Uchiha's interest even more to leave him hanging. "You told me that you weren't interested about it."

"Cut the crap," Sasuke snapped with a glare, "I know what you're trying to do."

"Well then, since you're so persistent," Ino smiled, knowing that she had won. "I know who she is."

Sasuke's annoyance abruptly disappeared and amusement replaced the negative emotion. "Is that it?"

What? Why was this guy looking at her like this? There was nothing amusing in what she was going to say. "You know nothing about that girl," Ino objected.

"Actually, I do," Sasuke replied nonchalantly, taking no care about Ino's concern. "I know more than **you** seem to think," he smirked when he saw Ino's change of reaction

… _He knows…?_ Ino couldn't believe it. He knew all about that―all about her. So then… then… she couldn't understand. Why…? Why was he…? She tried figuring it out―figuring **him** out. What was his motive? Why would he…?

"So you know… who she is then…" Ino trailed off, knowing what his answer was going to be, but wanted to hear from him directly to believe it.

"Aa," Sasuke replied simply. He looked at Ino's perplexed expression and was about to ask if that was all she wanted from him when she asked him.

"You know who she is, but the way you treat her here is completely different from the way you treat her there," she remembered the time when he suddenly pulled Sakura towards him at the park and kissed her so… passionately that Ino immediately shook her head to get those images out of her head. "It's like you… which is it really? What do you really feel towards her? You're completely deceiving her."

"In case you haven't noticed, she's also doing the very same thing," Sasuke replied casually.

Ino laughed at the irony of it all, "You're deceiving each other. You're both insane," she shook her head in disbelief. There was a pause and Ino used this moment to recollect herself as a thought occurred to her. "You do know how this is going to turn out, don't you?"

Sasuke remained emotionless and said nothing.

"And judging from your lack of reaction, it seems that you have it all calculated already, don't you?" Knowing that he wouldn't reply, Ino kept on going. "You're going to hurt her," she paused when she detected something in her voice. Was that pity… or sadness?

Sasuke looked away, knowing the consequences that Ino mentioned very clearly. It has to be this way, since it was… necessary.

"But from what I think, you won't succeed," when Ino noticed the confused stare she was given… or the slight change in his facial expression that made her assume that he was confused, she didn't know but it made her smile bitterly, "Because she's going to run away from you before you'll have the chance to do so."

That was right. She knew what was going to happen, since she knew her friend _so_ well.

"Because she's a coward."

It was going to be like two years ago.

"She's going to break up with you before you know it."

Just like before.

That coward.

* * *

She plopped down her bed and sighed wearily. She turned around to lie on her back. Looking up the ceiling inattentively, she thought everything that had happed in the past couple of days.

From her date… toward the unexpected occurrence that had happened during that time.

She closed her eyes, seeing the picture so clearly in her head.

The time that he kissed her and told her that.

From today… towards the strange behaviour that her fiancée gave her when he most unexpectedly saved her.

… Towards her meeting with Itachi when he told her that…

"…_it appears that you have already fallen in love with him…"_

At the thought of those words replaying in her mind, Sakura immediately shot right up the bed. Jumping out of it, she took her jacket lying messily on the foot of her bed. Quickly wearing the material, she opened the door that led to the veranda that was connected to her room.

She needed to get some fresh air, because he mind was playing tricks on her.

She could've sworn that when Itachi said those words, the weight and aching pain that was inside her lifted. It was as if, her whole being was agreeing with it. At that moment, she had the urge to say that,

Yes, she was in love with him.

She quickly shook her head hysterically, knowing that her mind was playing tricks on her.

That was impossible.

She couldn't be in love with him. She couldn't be.

* * *

"Sakura," she knocked on the door to alert her stepsister of her presence. When no one answered, she opened the door to check up on her―just in case she went somewhere else.

Looking around the room and seeing no sign of her little sister, she decided to look somewhere else when she felt the chilly cold wind touch her skin. Turning around and bearing in mind that it was the cause of an open window, she noticed that it was the door leading to the veranda that was left ajar.

Knowing that if the door was going to be kept open, it would've made her little sister's room too cold to take refuge and rest in, she went to close it. However, at the sight of Sakura standing outside with nothing but a thin sweater, Temari decided to get her inside before she could get a cold.

"Sakura?" Temari approached her and expected her to take notice of her presence, but when the said girl remained stationary, still staring at the dark sky distantly, Temari couldn't help but be concerned. "Sakura?" She stopped when she was finally standing beside her little sister. "What's―"

Her question was forgotten at the sight of tears. She was crying.

Temari gave a concern hand on her little sister's shoulder. "Sakura…"

"… Why…? Sakura uttered sadly.

Temari remained patient and rubbed Sakura's back, silently telling her to take her time.

"It's not fair," Sakura cried.

She couldn't deny it any longer. It was already impossible. She couldn't lie to herself any longer.

Because these feelings of wanting to be near him, and be close to him.

This selfish desire to be with him even though she didn't have the right to be…

And the desire for those moments to repeat again…

When they went out without any concern about anything else…

At the park where he healed her and broke all of her defenses just when he mentioned her name…

She shook her head, as the sadness of having this feeling being only a burden.

If only…

"_It's all your fault! If only you didn't exist… everything… everything would have gone well."_

If only she could erase the past…

"_Even for a little longer… I could've…"_

If only her selfish desire didn't corrupt her.

"_I hate you."_

Her selfish desires… she didn't deserve to have any because she had lost that right a long time ago.

That was why she shouldn't have this feeling. But it was already too late.

"_I want to see you again."_

The deed was already done. She couldn't stop it already even if she tried.

_I'm sorry, Tsubasa._

She has done something unforgivable, and the worst thing was that a part of her didn't care.

_I want to see him again._

"I've fallen in love with him," she cried, slumping down the snowy ground. "I love… Sasuke."

* * *

"_You know how this is going to turn out, don't you?"_

Yes, he was aware of that.

"_You're going to hurt her."_

He knew that too, but that didn't matter. It didn't matter at all. Everything that he did was necessary. She was the only one that could do it, and he didn't care what happened afterwards. He had an idea how everything would turn out later.

He didn't have any feelings for her, and that was all that mattered.

He couldn't afford to disappoint his father once again. Now that he was the heir to the Uchiha clan, disobedience would not be tolerated.

After all, this was what he wanted―to be the head of the clan.

However, to be the head, he couldn't be another disobedient son.

And his fiancée…

He didn't want to marry her.

She wasn't the one he wanted to marry.

And that was why, he needed to do this.

He needed to hurt her to the point that she was going to break their engagement. He would make sure that she would initially be the one who would break it off.

Besides,

_**Flashback**_

"I want to see you again."

It took a while for her obvious confusion to alter into an abrupt smile. Suddenly, he felt her hand on his forehead. "Are you sick?" Sakura teased with a grin, "You don't seem to be yourself.

Sasuke pulled away from her, irritated with her teasing statement. If she wasn't going to take him seriously, he didn't need to stay here anymore then. "Forget I said anything then," he said coldly, taking a step backwards before turning away from her.

He decided that he didn't care whether she asked him to stay or not, or whether he was being rude, he was going to leave now. However, before he could make his body act on his thoughts, he felt arms stopping him from moving.

Her arms were around him, gently closing the distance that they had. She laid her head on his chest, and he felt her arms move up towards his back, giving him a tender squeeze. "Me too," she whispered blissfully, "I want to see you again."

Before he even knew it, his arms were around her small frame, enjoying the feel of her in his arms. He felt… content.

_**End of Flashback**_

It wasn't like he was in love with her.

After all, he was just being courteous; hugging her back was only a polite gesture.

_**TBC**_

**

* * *

A/N:** Oho, now we see the perspective of each side. Sakura is finally admitting that she loves Sasuke, but Sasuke knows her secret! It's going to get harder for them at this point. I just wanna know if you noticed the slight hint that I gave in the last scene with Sasuke. Feel free to tell me what you think.

I am thankful for your support guys! I can't go this far without it. This project is a difficult one since I had trouble writing the last two scenes that would bring Sasuke and Sakura's perspectives so that you can understand. Hopefully, I succeeded. Comments please, and support for the upcoming next chapter! It might take a while… three months. I need to focus on school if I wanna get back to the Philippines this May.

Please review―oh, and greet me a Happy Birthday while you're at it―kidding!

**

* * *

Chapter 20―Letting Go**

She slowly closed the distance of their lips. What a hypocrite―kissing people in their sleep! But that didn't matter right now because…

… this might be the last chance she would be able to do this.

The feel of her lips softly meeting his was enough to bring tears in her eyes. She loved him. She loved him so much, but this was it.

Her final selfish act.

_Goodbye, Sasuke._

**

* * *

Updated: **January 15, 2009


	20. Letting Go

**Engagement On Hold**

**Summary:** (AU) Uchiha Sasuke is Konoha High's reigning prince. Haruno Sakura is…? Who is she again? What happens when the guy everybody knows finds himself engaged to the girl nobody knows?

**Genre: ** Romance/Humor/Drama

**Pairings:** Sasuke/Sakura, Naruto/Hinata, Shikamaru/Temari

**Author: ** pei-chan

**Disclaimer:** Wouldn't it be nice if Sasuke and Sakura were really engaged in the Naruto series? Then again, that would only occur in our dreams… ne?

**A/N:** I am amazed with you guys – one of you figured it out. Yes, you are right. Sasuke doesn't want to marry Sakura because of someone else, but it's not who you think it is. I also apologize for not being able to update for almost a year. It was difficult for me to write this chapter in the beginning because I didn't know what to write next. I didn't have a clear picture of it until now.

I'm actually proud of this chapter. I liked the finished product, and I hope you do as well.

**

* * *

Chapter 20 – Letting Go**

She could recall that vague yet unforgettable memory.

"Come here, Temari," she heard her stepmother beckon towards her to approach the hospital bed.

With slow and steady steps, she went to her destination and looked up towards the moving blanket in her mother's arms.

"Look," Sumire brought the object in her arms that her stepdaughter was looking at with interest closer, "it's your new baby sister."

Temari peeked at the little bundle in her mother's arms. She looked at her mother and the sight of her overjoyed smile unknowingly brought one of its own. Her smile confidently altered into a grin as she saw her baby sister smiling back at her.

* * *

She was older now, and she knew that the doubts that she had when she was younger were in need of answers. She didn't bother to ask again after seeing the sight of her mother's tears when she brought it up, but she wanted to understand.

"Mother, she's our sister, isn't she? Why isn't she living with us?"

She was waiting for her mother's tears as she said the taboo word 'sister', but when she got a sad smile, Temari didn't know whether to be concerned or be glad.

"I'm sorry, honey. There's nothing I can do."

At that moment, she chose that it was best to live pretending she didn't have a sister at all.

* * *

"_Temari, Kankuro, Gaara, this is Sakura, your little sister. She'll be living with us from now on."_

She could remember that moment very well when she finally met her sister after many years. They were told that because of an accident that claimed her father's life, she had moved in with them.

At the moment their eyes locked, Temari had made a conclusion that she didn't like this girl. She had that look in her eye that clearly said,

She didn't want to be here.

* * *

Weeks had passed and she felt her dislike towards her so called 'sister' increasing as each day went by. She tried to ignore her 'sister's' distant attitude when she came home so late at night and the offensive attitude towards their mother when trying to have a decent conversation with her. She couldn't handle seeing her mother cry after that.

She finally had enough of this aggravating behavior.

She waited until Sakura has finally arrived home at three in the morning and cornered her before she got into her room.

Temari only got a glare from her 'sister' for blocking her path when she clearly had no intention of moving out of the way. Ignoring the unsociable vibe she was emitting, Temari gave her a piece of her mind. "You are always leaving when you wish and coming back when you feel like it. Don't think that I can't see right through you. Stop acting so full of yourself, just because you live here, doesn't mean you can come and go as you please!"

She only got a sardonic laugh in return, "Isn't that the point of it? I can get out of here when I please and come back here when I please since I live here now."

"I don't care what you do with your life. You're living in this house now, so I hope you have a little bit of respect for the people living in it," Temari retorted back. "At least act like you care even a little."

"But that's just it―I don't care," Sakura smiled that gave an eerie jolt down Temari's spine, "Give your concern to someone who actually cares."

That was it! Gathering all her anger, she slapped Sakura as hard as she could. "Since mother won't bother to lay her hand on you―I will. Your immaturity is not solving anything! You're hurting the people around you who actually care about you, and pretty soon you're going to hurt someone when you don't intend to. Grow up―and stop being so selfish! Start caring about people other than yourself."

They have never spoken or looked at each other after that.

* * *

Knowing that just words won't get through the girl, Temari gave up altogether. She went through her each day pretending she didn't have a sister. It was only when she received an important phone call from Kankuro that everything had changed.

"_Temari, I need you to come to the hospital immediately."_

She couldn't speak as she anxiously waited for the news.

"_Sakura… she's been in an accident."_

* * *

She told herself that she wouldn't be able to care for this girl, but as she walked towards the hospital bed, she couldn't deny that she had always wanted to care for her like a little sister ever since that moment when she saw her in that blanket in her mother's arms.

She wanted to be with her as she worried about her first love, first kiss and first adoration in make-up. She wanted to see her as she grew up―together with them.

Why? Why did they have to live apart throughout all those years?

There were so many things she didn't understand, but she was starting to understand one thing as she watched Sakura's sleeping face.

They were partly to blame for making Sakura very distant.

They didn't make the effort in welcoming her.

* * *

It has been weeks since he had told her that he wanted to 'see' her again. She wasn't sure if he meant for them to be an official couple, but she chose not to think about it that way. She knew one thing about Uchiha Sasuke. It was that his mind worked in odd ways that she has yet to understand. At this point, that time seemed to be a long way to go.

Since that time, they have been seeing each other every weekend. Despite the dilemma of deceiving him still present, it didn't bother her as much as time passed. She enjoyed his company more since she felt that she could be herself when with him and she could forget all her troubles; however, it wasn't working this time.

As she waited for her date to arrive, she couldn't help but think about her conversation with Ino the other day.

**_Flashback_**

"I don't care what you're trying to achieve by trying to hide who you are, but I know one thing for certain. Since you've thrown away our friendship without a second thought, I'm not going to back down like I did in the past." Ino spoke bluntly. "If you get too comfortable, I'll steal him away from you."

Sakura was speechless.

"Consider this your final warning," Ino warned and she left without another word.

What was she supposed to say to that?

**_End of Flashback_**

_Ino…_ Sakura though with a glum frown. She didn't tell him about her identity. Her attitude completely showed it. She had changed―in more ways than one. A challenge, huh?

"Oi, am I talking to air or what?"

Embarrassed that she wasn't paying any attention to her surroundings, Sakura looked up with a flush and apologized for her inattentiveness. She was so concerned about her conversation with Ino that she didn't even notice that he had already arrived. Putting the matter aside, she stood up and asked with an apologetic smile, "Did you just get here?"

"I arrived half an hour ago, but there's this girl that didn't even notice me until I had to practically yell at her ear."

Sakura laughed at the explanation, "Liar."

"Fine, five minutes, but I was planning on yelling at your ear if you didn't notice me calling you for the fifth time," Sasuke declared. Well, he was planning on it.

Sakura could only smile and giggle at his honesty. He knew how to make her feel better with silly things.

Grabbing her hand and not letting her get back on that gloomy expression, he started dragging her to their destination.

Confused at his sudden assertiveness, she asked, "Where are we going?" It was the first time he held her hand like that and she couldn't help but get a warm feeling in her stomach.

"Just be quiet and follow me," he replied as he continued to pull her. Suddenly, he felt her hand tighten around his and he knew that at that moment, she had a smile on her face.

* * *

"I don't understand why you would bring me to a hospital when you said you wanted to catch up."

When she didn't hear anything from her companion, she decided to just follow him thinking that she would get her answers sooner or later. As they continued to walk through the corridors of the hospital, tension built up inside of her. Hospitals were never good amusement parks. All she saw inside this place everywhere she turned was sadness and pain. It was definitely not a place to hang out to.

Ino watched Sai warily as they continued to walk down the corridor of the hospital. She remembered seeing him at school for the very first time (since she was always away because of her photo shoots), and despite her past feelings for him, it didn't affect her from greeting him in a friendly manner like before. She proposed that they meet each other during the weekend and catch up since they haven't seen each other in a long time, but he suggested bringing her here instead. He said he wanted her to meet someone.

She didn't understand what would be so important that they couldn't do this another day, but the sight of the hospital told her otherwise. Deciding that the silence was too much to bear in this depressing environment, Ino initiated a casual conversation.

"You haven't changed at all."

Sai took notice of her statement with a side glance and asked with mild curiosity, "How so?"

"I still can't tell what you're thinking," Ino teased.

It was Sai's time to chuckle, "Are you implying that most people are very easy to read?"

Ino was caught off guard by the question. She didn't think he would take it that way. Regaining her composure, Ino replied softly, "No, you're just a very complicated person."

Sai completely understood. "I see."

The closed reply brought Ino right back to square one of trying to think of a new topic of conversation. So far, she couldn't think of anything other than, "How are you these days?" Oh, how she wanted to slap herself for saying that out loud. Those opening statements had always been the lamest thing to say because of its generality. Idiot!

"Well, if you really must know, I'm actually sexually frustrated at the moment―"

Ino didn't even let him finish and exclaimed, "WHAT!" Her outburst immediately got her a glare from one of the nurses passing by but she couldn't apologize because the shock inhibited her capability of noticing anything else around her.

Instead, Sai apologized on her behalf and said with an amused smile, "You wanted to know how I was doing, right."

Ino blushed intently, "I didn't specifically ask about your sex life, idiot."

"Maybe it's an invitation," Sai replied slyly.

Ino was dumbfounded. He did not just say that. "If that was a joke, I didn't find it very funny."

"Your face is though," Sai simply said that had Ino fuming.

"Hey!" Ino was about to hit Sai when she heard loud voices coming from a room at the far end of the corridor. It sounded as if there were people arguing. When she saw Sai quicken his pace―possibly towards the source of the commotion―she matched up to his pace to find out what was going on.

* * *

"A helicopter?" She had the urge to laugh. She didn't expect him to do something this extreme. "Where exactly are taking me?" She asked with a teasing smile. She didn't know whether to be moved and impressed or to be suspicious. She had never known him to go into great lengths for anyone before―much less a girl…

"Just get on," Sasuke replied, irritated that she continued to question him. "And you'll find out."

"But―" however a glare stopped her from trying to protest, so couldn't help but ask instead, "Do we really need to take the helicopter?"

She didn't get a reply and the only response that she was able to get from him was a sharp pull that brought her inside of the helicopter so she couldn't complain any longer.

_Well, I guess that answers that question._

* * *

Shikamaru didn't understand why he said yes. He took a moment to think about the reasons why he was here outside in the cold, during a weekend, when he could use this time to be doing something else. Relaxing more like.

Ah, that's right.

That woman said she didn't like being in debt towards others and decided to take him out as a sign of gratitude. He would have accepted a simple thank you, but that woman wouldn't take it.

Now he had to wait until she got here. He hoped that she would get here quick so he could go home soon.

How annoying.

* * *

As they got closer, Ino heard the argument clearer than before and she couldn't help but listen.

"_I told you to stay away from her,"_ a male voice warned.

"_I can't stop her if she wants to meet me, and I don't think you have any control about it either,"_ a female voice replied with a sardonic laugh.

Ino stopped when both of them were standing in front of the door where the argument was happening at the other side. However, she couldn't help but wonder why Sai was standing there and not even trying to open the door. He merely stared at the closed door, possibly listening to the conversation as well.

"_What are you trying to do?"_ The male voice asked suspiciously.

"_I don't know what you're talking about," _the female voice replied with feigned innocence.

"_Isn't it enough for you that she's changed her whole way of life? Do you intend for her to ruin the rest of her life this way?"_

"_If you don't recall, she was the one that volunteered to do so, and if she does ruin her life because of it, that wouldn't be my problem." _The female voice countered defensively.

"_If you're her so called 'friend' then you wouldn't even let her do that to herself."_

"_I don't care what she does," _the girl stated firmly._ "If she does suffer for it, then I'm all for it. Actually I'm already entertained by the state of her life at this point. A fiancée that doesn't want her, how terrible,"_ a chuckle was heard.

"_So you don't have any appreciation over the things that she did for you, do you?"_ The male voice asked distastefully.

"_Appreciate? Please! I would never appreciate that person. In fact you might as well know now that I hate her. I _**hate**_ Haruno Sakura for what she did to me!"_ The girl yelled with extreme hatred. _"I had always hoped that she died in that accident 2 years ago, but instead―she gets off by forgetting everything!"_

Before Sai could notice what was happening to stop it, Ino barged right into the room, marched towards the hospital bed and slapped the girl sitting on it. The two occupants in the room didn't realize what was happening until then.

Kankuro was thunderstruck. Here was the most beautiful girl in school and famous model with a glare that creased her perfect features, and she just slapped Tsubasa without any warning. He couldn't even feel grateful at this point. All he could think about was:

What was she doing here?

* * *

He looked at his fiancée for a moment, taking in her dumbfounded expression as she looked at the scenery in front of her. He smirked and chuckled. He definitely rendered her speechless this time.

"It's…" Sakura couldn't believe her eyes. "… you did this?"

He nodded.

"So… it's just us here?" She took a moment to say it out loud. "Alone…" Just thought of it made her blush.

"What's wrong about it?" Sasuke asked casually that she thought it didn't bother him one bit.

It made Sakura reflect that this wasn't the first time he was doing this to someone. Before she could've thought more about the issue, she saw Sasuke walking away from her towards their destination.

He looked back only to wait for her, "Aren't you coming?"

Yup. It was really like nothing to him. A rich boy to the core. She abruptly felt irritated that he might have thought their first outing was a boring incident. The gratefulness she felt inside her vanished and was replaced with irritating thoughts. "I'm not going," she stubbornly crossed her arms and glared at him.

Sasuke wasn't impressed. This woman was confusing him with her unpredictable reactions. One minute she was as happy as a little bird and now she was angry like a volcano waiting for eruption. Oh well. "Why not?" He simply asked.

"I… don't know how to skate," Sakura looked away, trying to hide the feint flush on her cheeks.

"Well then," he gently took her hand and tugged her towards the direction of the frozen lake. "I'll teach you."

Sakura couldn't help but look at her fiancée after she felt his hand taking hers. Any complaints that she may have had sunk deep inside of her and her resistance diminished when she saw his expression.

Was he… smiling at her?

* * *

Ino was fuming inside. This girl―how dare her! She didn't care whatever her past was; she was way out of line!

Tsubasa was finally able to regain her composure from the aftermath of that slap, and glared at the intruder. She was about to retort for the stranger to mind her own damn business, when she realized the identity of the stranger. Well, wasn't this terribly amusing. "I never expected our next meeting would be me getting slapped by you, Yamanaka Ino-san."

Ino was taken aback by the girl's knowledge of her identity. She had never even met this person in her entire life, and she just said that they met once before. Her state at the moment was still full of unreleased rage that she was about to grab the girl and demand some answers when Sai's sudden intrusion stopped her.

"Stop that Tsubasa. She's going to do more than slap you if you say any more to aggravate her."

Tsubasa turned away with a scoff and said no more. Ever since Kankuro confronted her today, she lost her composure altogether.

Kankuro, however, was not done yet and confronted Sai this time. "I knew you were going to come sooner or later."

Sai didn't bother to be discreet. "If you intend to have a short conversation, then I suggest you get straight to the point."

"I know why you're suddenly appearing in our school, and I tell you that it's not going to work." Kankuro warned carefully. "You're lucky my little brother doesn't know anything about your identity or he would have already beaten you up."

Sai was thrilled however and the threat didn't pose any danger to him. "Your little brother couldn't touch me even if he tried."

Kankuro gave one last glare towards Sai's direction and walked out of the room.

Ino, feeling left out with the departure of the only person who seemed sane at the moment took a glance at Sai and followed Kankuro out of the room. She felt like she couldn't trust Sai at this point in time since he might only tell her lies. The only person who she thought would be reasonable would be the guy who just walked out. If she wanted to get the facts on what happened to Sakura in the past two years then she had to ask him.

"Wait a minute," Ino called out when she saw Kankuro walk out of the hospital. He stopped at the sound of her voice just outside of the building. "I want to know what you know about Haruno Sakura."

Kankuro's interest increased at the statement. "You're Yamanaka Ino, Sakura's friend."

"Past friend," Ino corrected. "She stopped contacting me two years ago, and I didn't think I would see her again… that way."

"I see, so she did do it, but I'm just curious, do you know I am?"

Ino didn't hesitate to answer. "No, I don't."

"Well, since we're going to be seeing each other more from now on, I'm your tutor in school, Sabaku Kankuro."

Ino gasped when she realized that he was talking about the new mandatory student help program at school, but her shock only increased at Kankuro's next statement.

"I'm also Sakura's older brother."

Sakura had definitely forgotten to mention that she had any siblings.

* * *

"You lied to me."

Tsubasa didn't say anything.

"That attitude as if you've forgiven her was a lie, wasn't it? Even that favor you wanted from me that day was also a lie."

"No," Tsubasa countered softly. "That favor wasn't a lie."

"_Promise me that you won't hurt yourself for what you're going to do."_

"Afterall, we've both been lying to each other all along," Tsubasa admitted softly. "I know how you feel about her."

Sai's eyes narrowed in a slight warning.

"You're mad that she forgot all about you, that's the reason for your actions."

Sai scoffed at the distasteful topic. "At least I'm not in denial like you."

Tsubasa gave him a sharp glance.

"If not for my brother, I would have washed my hands off of you years ago, but then again, you'll be seeing me again." He didn't feel like staying anymore let alone argue with her. He left the room without another word, and Tsubasa made no motion to stop him.

She looked out of the window in wonder, "I'm in denial… huh…?"

* * *

She laughed as she clumsily fell on the ice for the 10th time. She saw Sasuke gliding towards her as she continued to sit on the ice, making no motion to get up.

"Can't you stay up for at least a minute?" Sasuke mocked with a sigh.

Sakura just gave him a warm smile and took his extended hand to help her back up on her feet. She stayed in his arms and didn't pull away from him when she was finally standing upright. She lowered her head towards his chest and murmured, "Thank you."

She took comfort when his arms slid around her small frame as she remembered Itachi's condition towards their bet. He wanted her to tell Sasuke who she really was. She looked up at his handsome features and debated with herself if she could do it.

Tiptoeing for their height difference, she leaned upwards and kissed him softly. It was an innocent peak on the lips, but she felt his desire to make it more passionate at the touch of tongue on her lips and the tightening of his arms, one moving to the back of her head, applying pressure to deepen the kiss and the other pulling her waist so that their bodies would be molded together.

She wanted to cry. Her feelings for him were threatening to burst out any moment, and her control had in fact slipped this time. She loved him. She loved him so much that all she wanted to know if he felt the same way, but… what if he didn't. She couldn't bear the thought of it.

She thought about revealing her feelings to him while disregarding the consequences. She wanted to get it off her chest so the overwhelming curiosity would finally stop bothering her, then she would finally know if he did feel the same way or not.

No, she couldn't. That would be another lie on her part. If she was going to tell him she was going to do it without any lies. That's why… she had to end this relationship―this relationship based on lies. She had to do it.

They pulled away and looked at each other's eyes, taking the moment in silence. Sakura took the time to get courage to tell him the truth, but his abrupt statement stopped her.

"No," Sasuke hugged her and whispered in her ear huskily, "Thank you."

Damn it. She didn't have the courage to do it when he acted this way.

* * *

She heard the door behind her close, but she merely watched the dark sky distantly.

Temari sighed and said with wonder, "How'd your date go?"

Sakura gave a faint smile, "Not as nice as yours had been."

Temari flushed in embarrassment, and decided to clarify the misunderstanding. "That is not it and you know that."

"Oh," Sakura replied in a teasing manner, "I don't think I was mistaken when I saw Nara Shikamaru in our house when I arrived."

"I'm merely tutoring him in math, that's all," Temari replied defensively.

Sakura immediately realized her older sister's mistake and laughed, "But you suck at math."

"No, I do not!"

Sakura continued to laugh at her older sister's struggle to deny her observation. Well, she did that once before and maybe she was going to do it again. She sighed in dismay at her dilemma.

Temari, in turn, noticed the change in atmosphere with her little sister and decided to listen to her problem. At least, she wouldn't be able to hassle her about her own personal life now.

"Ne, I think I'm in trouble this time." Sakura took a deep breath and said, "I don't want to tell him the truth."

Temari thought for a moment about the situation and asked, "Are you sure what you're feeling for him is 'love'?"

"Yes." There was no hesitation as she said it.

"So… it's alright for you to suffer on his account and wait for him to find out the truth himself so he can flat out reject you." Temari didn't bother to be sweet and nice about it. She wanted what was best for her little sister, and sugarcoating her just won't do. "Isn't it better for the truth to come from you, than for him to find out unexpectedly?"

"I guess," Sakura hesitantly agreed.

"Delaying the matter will only add to your grief and prolonging it might only end up complicating things further. Fix your own mess, before someone interferes and makes it impossible to do so."

* * *

"Eh, Sasuke's absent today?" Naruto asked and couldn't help but wonder since the guy never missed a class in his life.

Sakura also was wondering why he didn't come to class today. It had been explained to them that he was sick and still recovering from a flu virus. He was fine in the weekend. Whatever could have happened to him?

Kankuro couldn't help but think that this girl was desperate. He told her that he wouldn't tell her about Sakura until she showed up in one session in the tutoring program at school. She actually arrived right on time.

"Should I say, 'welcome to your tutoring session'?" Kankuro teased when Ino approached him.

"Cut the crap. You know why I'm here." Ino had no time for jokes. She didn't like not knowing the events that were happening around her, and that she couldn't do anything about them.

Kankuro got the drift. "Well, since what I'm about to tell you is neither a short nor a fairytale story, how about we get a bite to eat. I'm starving."

Ino chose not to argue and walked with him out of the room.

* * *

Sakura had been planning to go home, but again, he had to bother her once more. "What do you want now, Itachi-san?"

"You're planning on going straight home without even bothering to visit your fiancée―"

Sakura immediately looked around in alarm and sighed in relief when she that no one took notice of Itachi's presence in the school grounds yet, but she didn't take the chance. Having no intention of her engagement towards Uchiha Sasuke to be leaked, she abruptly dragged Itachi away from the crowd towards a more secluded place. She remembered her past encounter with him in an isolated area wasn't a good idea, but she knew that Itachi had no intention to harm her. He just preferred getting on her nerves.

Satisfied with their location, she turned around and gave Itachi a harsh glare. "That was way out of line, Itachi-san. You know that that information has not been disclosed to the public, and yet you were ready to blow it out to the entire student body."

"I was only trying to get your attention, and it just shows that my efforts weren't in vain."

"I don't see the reason why I should visit him," Sakura gave him the response that she knew he came for. "I know that he isn't sick."

"Really… and may I ask how you jumped to that conclusion?" Itachi asked curiously amused with the lack of care she was showing.

"Uchiha Sasuke does not get sick."

Itachi chuckled at that speculation. "You're a very cruel woman, Sakura-san, when you're the reason he's in that state. You got him sick after your date, and all you're going to do is ignore him. I thought you cared for him."

"Is this some kind of trick," Sakura asked suspiciously, "You want me to come with you to show you that you're right all along. Do you enjoy other people struggling as your entertainment, Itachi-san?"

"That wasn't my intention at all." He eased her suspicions with a reasonable smile. "I only came here out of my brother's request."

"What?" Sasuke… requested for her? There was no way that could be true.

"He had been whispering your name in his sleep for the past few days and it was starting to get on my nerves. I was thinking that if I bring you to him, it would quench his desire to see you and would finally rest properly."

"I don't understand."

"Come and you'll find out what I mean," Itachi smirked and walked to a limousine across from their location.

She didn't even see the vehicle until now. Itachi… he was definitely confident that she was going to come with him. Well, she had no intention of disappointing him at this point. She wanted to see if he was really telling the truth.

* * *

"Before I start, I want to know what you do know about Sakura."

Ino turned away sadly, knowing that all she knew about her friend was possibly her name. "Not so much."

Kankuro expected as much. "Well, she's my stepsister."

"Wait," Ino shook her head trying to sort out the facts. She knew Sabaku Kankuro had two siblings. Wait… that couldn't _possibly_ mean…

But Kankuro clarified the matter she was thinking of. "Yes, Temari, Gaara and I are Sakura's siblings."

So, she did have siblings.

"I don't know all the details and you're going to have to ask Sakura yourself about them" ―Kankuro saw how those words affected Ino and decided otherwise― "or not. She won't tell you anything anyway. That was how it was when we first met.

"I met her almost 4 years ago when she first moved into our house. She didn't speak to us or even try to get along with us. I remember that she preferred to be alone than associate with any of us―even her own mother."

Ino frowned in bewilderment. "Her own mother?"

"Well, it really looks like you know nothing about her." He knew that he was striking a nerve once more, so he remedied the wound. "It's alright since we didn't know anything about her either until she moved in with us."

"Really?'"

Kankuro nodded solemnly. "Maybe it's because of her grandmother. I never liked that old bat anyway. She had Sakura's mother and father split after they were married."

Split? "How?"

"Because of the three of us. You see, Temari and I aren't Sakura's mother's children. Our mom died a few months after she gave birth to me and then our father met and married Sakura's mother. Since then, she's been our only mother we've ever known. Before Gaara was born, however, our father died. Our mother was fortunate that she fell in love with Sakura's father. They got married and had Sakura.

"But that's where it all started. Soon after Sakura was born, our mother was told that she couldn't live in the same house with her husband and newborn daughter because the three of us weren't her husband's children." Kankuro saw Ino's glare and he knew that she had misunderstood. "It wasn't her husband that wanted us out, but his mother."

Ino gave him an apologetic glance.

"I don't know why we couldn't all just live in another house, but that's how it came to be. After that, we never really saw Sakura except for when her father brought her to our house in frequent visits. We never got along since we always thought she was the cause of our mother's suffering."

"What do you mean?" Ino shook her head in confusion. "Sakura didn't live with you guys?"

"No, she didn't. She lived with her father and grandmother, while we lived with our mother in another house. Our mother had always been depressed since then, and whenever Sakura came to visit, we would take out our frustration towards her.

"But the harshest one was Gaara. He was the one that showed his negative affections to her the most, and he even told her once that if she wasn't ever around, then maybe we could've been a normal family."

Ino gasped at hearing his brother's blunt rudeness.

He had a feeling that she wouldn't be able to take it, but maybe he was jumping to conclusions so he had to ask. "Sorry, I'm going into too much detail, am I?"

Ino shook her head with a slight smile, coaxing him to continue. "No, keep going."

Kankuro nodded, "Alright then, I guess you want to know who that girl was at the hospital, don't you? What puzzles me, however, is that you both used to go to the same junior high school that I would have expected you to know her."

Know her? She had never seen her before though. She would have remembered her if they did go to the same school.

"Well, does the name, Sukishiro Tsubasa ring a bell?" He watched Ino's expression carefully and saw that realization struck her the moment her eyes widened in disbelief.

That girl was… Tsubasa? She was the reason why Sakura dressed up that way. It was that girl's fault.

He knew what she was thinking. "I have a feeling that you want to murder the girl already, but before you decide her fate, listen to the rest of the story first. After you hear everything, decide what to do―since this is the reason why we met up today, didn't we?"

"Then, what aren't you telling me?"

"The rest of the story," Kankuro replied simply.

* * *

She slowly walked towards the bed, watching his sleeping figure intently. As she took in the presence of her fiancée's weakened state, she thought about how selfish and inconsiderate she had been. She had only thought about how she didn't want to end their relationship because it was the only time when she felt that they were both truthful to each other. Yeah right.

She couldn't deny that he was kinder and gentler than before, but honest? How would she know? He never disclosed any of his personal life to her when he was 'seeing' her. She lied to him the moment she didn't admit to him who she was. Their relationship was solely based on lies that maybe―

They never had a relationship to begin with.

Pain struck her like a huge boulder had been dropped down towards her body, and weight was too much to bear that she only hoped that death wouldn't come any sooner. But… that wouldn't do. The truth―she owed it to him, and to herself that much.

When she saw him turn his head towards her with a sigh of exhaustion escaping from his slightly parted lips, she felt the urge to try and relieve a little of his pain. Taking a wet cloth from inside a water filled basin, she gently placed the cloth on Sasuke's forehead. She brushed her wet fingertips on his face lightly, feeling the warm temperature of his body against her cool hand.

He really is sick.

She knew that she was guilty that he was at this state. If only she had been more honest, none of this would have happened.

"_Delaying the matter will only add to your grief and prolonging it might only end up complicating things further. Fix your own mess, before someone interferes and makes it impossible to do so."_

Temari was right. She had to put an end to the lies before she hurt the people around her even further. But despite the decision she had made, it was still difficult to end their relationship. Looking back at the first time they saw each other during the cultural festival, then during the time after she visited Tsubasa in the hospital, then during the time when they first went out together as his gesture of apologizing, and lastly the time when he took her skating for the very first time.

She wanted to create more memories like those not as plain 'Sakura' but as Haruno Sakura, his fiancée. Sakura mentally chuckled at the irony. _It seems that I have no intention of breaking the engagement now.__I've already fallen in love with you._

She sat on the edge of his bed leaned towards his sleeping form. She slowly closed the distance of their lips. What a hypocrite―kissing people in their sleep! But that didn't matter right now because…

… this might be the last chance she would be able to do this.

The feel of her lips softly meeting his was enough to bring tears in her eyes. She loved him. She loved him so much, but this was it.

Her final selfish act.

_Goodbye, Sasuke_

"I love…" she sniffed, realizing that the moisture in her eyes was starting to make her vision blurry. "… You," she murmured softly, reluctant to pull herself away from him, but at this state, she really was taking advantage of him. The sudden shift on the bedcovers made Sakura jump back, gasping in apprehension. Her gaze immediately when at the spot of the movement and she sighed in relief when she realized that he was merely turning in his sleep.

Knowing that it as the best time to leave, she took one more look at her fiancée's vulnerable figure understanding that this might be the last time she would see him this way. Before she knew it, her hands involuntarily took the sheets that was barely covering his clothed chest and brought it upwards to tuck him in so that the warmth from the covers would help raise his body temperature to more normal levels.

Smiling softly, she walked away only to come to an abrupt halt when she felt her hand being pulled back. Her heart increased its tempo at the thought of it, but it couldn't be. He was asleep just a second ago; he couldn't have been awake for all of that.

"Sakura," he heard a soft, strained murmur behind her.

Deciding to save her heart even more anguish, she turned to face her fiancée once more, ready to deal with the future possibility that she might have to reveal her identity sooner―

―Only for her shoulders to slump in disbelief when she saw him sleeping with only his hand grasping hers in a gentle and weak grip. So he really is still sleeping. She took her hand away from his slowly and walked out of the room, but stopped at the doorway.

She knew he was asleep, but she felt that she still needed to say it. Even if he couldn't hear it, she needed to tell him.

She took one pained glance behind her and said, "I'm sorry."

* * *

"Where do you think you're going?"

Sakura turned around silently and gave Uchiha Itachi a blank stare.

"Do you finally admit that you lost?"

Sakura's mouth twitched to a sardonic smile. "Do you find other people's dilemma amusing Itachi-san?"

Itachi smirked confidently, "Not at all. I just don't like losing, and it's safe to say that my expectations weren't ruined."

Sakura glared at him, appalled by his blatant arrogance.

"That was a very entertaining show, Sakura-san."

Sakura's glare intensified and she had to restrain herself from gritting her teeth in anger.

Despite the negative aura emanating from his brother's fiancée, Itachi approached her calmly yet carefully, adding towards Sakura's discomfort. "You tried your hardest, but in the end you fell for him―just like I knew you would."

If her anger didn't consume her state of mind right now, she would have noticed and had been confused at that statement. Except she quickly turned away from him and headed towards the door concluding, "If all you came here for is to try and aggravate me, Itachi-san, I would best leave you before I forget that I am only a **guest **in this house."

Before she could fully open the door however, Itachi's hand quickly shut the door with a loud slam that Sakura gasped at the sound.

"Our conversation is not yet over," Itachi said with firm coldness that brought a chill running down Sakura's spine. "You shouldn't be a sore loser and just admit to me that you lost."

The fear she might have felt moments before vanished at the challenge that she regained her voice refusing to back down, she replied defensively, "I have no patience with having a conversation with you right now, Itachi-san, there is nothing left to say." She refused to be intimidated by his face closing towards hers.

"Then I'll speak and you listen." He leaned towards her even closer, amused to her apparent discomfort. "Since you lost, you have to tell him the truth about this masquerade of yours." Giving her a triumphant smirk, he stepped away from her chivalrously opened the door for her in a mocking gesture.

If she felt aggravated by his demands, his next words went even beyond that.

"I sincerely hope you make it entertaining."

She was speechless. He was treating this like a television show and she just happened to be the guinea pig available. Bastard!

* * *

She looked at herself in the mirror, adjusting her ponytail into perfect alignment she was satisfied with. Pleased with her physical appearance, she hastily picked her bag and slung it on her shoulder and walked out of her room.

Her maid was puzzled at seeing her mistress getting out of the house in her school uniform, since she would usually go to the studio first thing in the morning. She voiced out her confusion, slightly worried about the change in routine, "Ino-sama, why are you wearing your uniform?"

Ino merely gave the girl a slight smile and said, "I'm going to school."

She had to find out what was behind all of that. She refused to sit by and leave everything alone when she found out about that.

"_Tsubasa was raped and she said that Sakura was the cause of it."_

She had to know what happened between Sakura and Tsubasa around the time when she left Japan two years ago. At this point, she didn't know what to think, but she couldn't ask Sakura.

"_Sakura's the only other person who would know what happened, but she lost her memories so there would be no point asking her."_

_Ino remained silent for a moment, trying to figure out whether she should believe what he just said. "What about you?"_

"_I'm her brother, of course I believe in her."_

What about her? Would she believe Tsubasa over Sakura? There was no contest.

No. She refused to believe it no matter what.

* * *

Itachi was in school, or more precisely, sitting amid 75 other students in his ethics class, listening to the lecturer expound on the ethical culpabilities of professionals in the confidentiality business: namely, lawyers, doctors, and psychologists. Not that Itachi planned on being a lawyer, doctor, or psychologist. He just liked knowing how low some people would stoop―ethically speaking. It was quite amusing how many of his upstanding fellow classmates from elite families used the presence of ethics to excuse the absence of morals. The vibration of his cell phone inside his coat pocket broke his concentration from the class that he didn't notice his pen drop to the ground.

Discreetly taking the phone out of his pocket, he opened a text message that came from one of the servants in the Uchiha manor.

'Itachi-sama, Sasuke-sama wasn't in his room, and we've looked all around the house and we can't find him anywhere. He must've left the house, and we're worried with his condition and all. We're searching for him now, please do not worry.'

It would seem that Sakura-san has made her move, and during a school time. Itachi smirked at her boldness. He would never have thought she would skip school for that. How amusing.

"Itachi-san," a girl beside him whispered cautiously, careful in not disturbing the ongoing lecture. "You dropped this," she gave the pen back with a polite smile.

Itachi smiled and gave the girl his gratitude, and it didn't fail in making the girl blush and turn away from him in embarrassment.

_I'll just wait and see what Sasuke's reaction will be_. After all, his brother's reaction would be sufficient enough to make his day.

* * *

"Hm, so Haruno and Uchiha are absent today." Kakashi repeated, double checking the list just in case he might've made a mistake.

Hinata glanced at the empty seat beside the window in wonder. Sakura was never absent, and her friend's odd behaviour for the past couple of weeks was making her worried.

Naruto also had the same thoughts about his best friend. He hadn't received any word from him and it was starting to get on his nerves. He didn't believe Sasuke was sick. That bastard was definitely skipping.

* * *

"You actually came."

He knew she was referring that it was a school day and that he should be at school at this point in time.

"I'm sorry to call you out of here right when you're sick, but don't worry this won't take long." He was sick and that he came in his crucial condition made Sakura think twice about what she was doing.

No, she wouldn't falter now.

Before she could build up her courage to tell him, he grabbed her arm, earning her full attention. "Whatever it is, I prefer if we talk about it indoors."

Despite his current state, his grip remained characteristically male that she knew she wouldn't be able to pull herself away from his grasp.

"I'll listen to you then."

Ah yes, there he goes again. His unreadable pleasant expression never ceased to make her timid and forget what she wanted to say. All she could do was tighten her grip on his hand as a precaution. She didn't want to let go of him.

* * *

"Is Sasuke here?"

It was lunch time and Naruto was just inviting Hinata to sit with him today since her usual company was absent. He didn't want her to sit alone by herself.

Hinata was about to accept his invitation when Yamanaka Ino came inside the classroom demanding to know where Uchiha Sasuke was.

"Sasuke's absent today," Naruto replied in vexation at yet another person looking for his best friend. What is it with Sasuke anyway? He was much better looking… well… interesting.

Ino paid no heed towards his tone. He wasn't here then. Without a word of gratitude, she immediately left the classroom, making Naruto grunt in displeasure, offended by her lack of manners.

"She's rude like always."

* * *

"What is this place?" Sakura asked in awe. It looked like a museum, seeing that it wasn't as chaotic as the other buildings in the area. There weren't that many people that would go into a museum unless for educational purposes.

"It's a fire arms museum. My family owns this place, and most of the displays here have been antiques passed down from generation to generation." Sasuke explained, coughing lightly from the aftermath of being outside for too long. He didn't have a fever anymore but exposure to the freezing temperature outside could give him a relapse.

"Wow, I never knew your family owned a place like this," Sakura complimented with a smile.

"Well, we don't get any profit in this place anyway. All the money we get here is for charity."

Sakura couldn't believe it. They donated their profits here for charity―but this place was huge!

"When I feel better, I can show you around if you want," Sasuke suggested.

His statement brought Sakura's mind to her purpose. _There might not be a next time_, Sakura smiled ironically as the thought ran inside her head. "I don't think that's necessary."

Sasuke frowned at her solemnity.

"I can't see you again."

Silence followed and not one of them spoke.

Sakura waited for his response anxiously. She refused to run away. She had to completely end everything, and she would wait for him to accept it before this identity of hers disappeared from his life.

Sasuke gave a wry smile. "I knew it," he mumbled softly. So that was what Ino meant?

Sakura was bewildered by his response. What did he mean by that?

"All this has been a game to you, hasn't it?" Sasuke gave her a cold glare.

What? "I have never thought about this as a game," she protested, slightly confused on how he would think that.

He chuckled sardonically at her reply, "Don't mock me with your false modesty. I knew all along that your feelings weren't real―"

He was abruptly cut off by Sakura's immediate retaliation. He merely felt the aftermath of being slapped by the irritation on his cheek.

"How dare you!" Sakura retorted furiously. "I may have been secretive about many things, but my feelings for you had never been a lie!" She shook her head in dismay, "I thought you were better than that… you actually think my feelings for you are a joke." She wanted to laugh at her stupidity, but she was too hurt to do so.

He was cruel! It would relieve her pain is only she could cry it out, but she wouldn't. She wouldn't give him the satisfaction of letting him know how much he hurt her.

"I'm sorry I wasted your time," she didn't bother look at him knowing that he would only give her a wary expression. She left him, knowing that this was the official end of their relationship.

At least she had gotten her answer.

Her feelings were only a one sided love, and it was absolutely painful to bear.

* * *

He knew Ino had been right the moment his fiancée told him she couldn't see him again, but as he watched Sakura disappear from his sight, he couldn't help but doubt if he did the right thing. He grimaced at the sting of Sakura's slap.

He knew about her deception, and yet why couldn't he erase the thought that he was the one who made a mistake.

He really should talk to Ino.

* * *

Sakura didn't feel like going to school today since she didn't want to face her fiancée at all, but missing one day was enough. She couldn't afford to skip school again. She had responsibilities to uphold, and she wasn't going to slack off now.

_I hate this_, she grumbled, protesting in her mind.

She went downstairs to get some breakfast, but she couldn't help but see the anxious looks her siblings were giving her as she walked inside the kitchen.

"What's wrong?" Was it obvious that she was crying yesterday? Oh, she hoped not. She wouldn't say she was depressed, maybe annoyed, but definitely not depressed.

Sakura didn't fail but notice the newspaper Temari was trying to hide behind her. Now, she became curious. They never really read the newspaper unless it was important. It wasn't the sort of hobby or a necessity for any of them.

She was about to ask about it when Gaara suddenly thrust the one he was holding in his hand.

"Read it." It wasn't a demand or an order but the sound of his sympathetic tone gave Sakura a strange feeling.

Temari's sudden protest that Gaara shouldn't show it to her and Kankuro's silence only added towards Sakura's apprehension.

Turning the paper over towards the front page, Sakura read the headlines. She couldn't finish reading it, and it slipped from her fingers in shock.

'Famous model, Yamanaka Ino, and wealthy heir, Uchiha Sasuke going steady'

What the hell… is going on…?

She couldn't understand or make some sense out of it.

Dating…?

What the hell happened?

**_TBC_**

**

* * *

A/N:** Lots of events happened here in this chapter. I hope that it would be sufficient for the long hiatus. I did promise to have this chapter out in the summer, but that didn't happen.

Feedback would be mostly appreciated and welcomed. I want to know what you guys think and if the story is still worth continuing.

**

* * *

Chapter 21 – Engagement On Hold** (Yes, the next chapter title is the title of the story)

Sakura's mask crumbled knowing that it was futile to hide her feelings any longer. "I… I already told myself that it was bound to happen sooner or later," a lone teardrop came down her cheek, and mingled with the raindrops cascading down her face, but it only triggered a soft sob that made her voice hitch. "But I didn't think it would hurt this much."

She didn't say anything else but merely lowered her head and let it rest on Gaara's shoulder, silently seeking comfort that Gaara didn't think twice in giving. Even before her head touched his shoulder, he wrapped his arms around her, bringing her closer to him.

Any thoughts of getting wet were forgotten by the two men as they listened to the soft sobs blending with the falling rain.

**

* * *

Updated: **October 29, 2009


	21. Engagement On Hold

**Engagement On Hold**

**Summary:** (AU) Uchiha Sasuke is Konoha High's reigning prince. Haruno Sakura is…? Who is she again? What happens when the guy everybody knows finds himself engaged to the girl nobody knows?

**Genre:** Romance/Humor/Drama

**Pairings:** Sasuke/Sakura, Naruto/Hinata, Shikamaru/Temari

**Author:** pei-chan

**Disclaimer:** Wouldn't it be nice if Sasuke and Sakura were really engaged in the Naruto series? Then again, that would only occur in our dreams… ne?

**A/N:** Warning―will encounter assholes in this chapter. Ehem, I won't say anything more. This chapter was very difficult for me to write despite the fact that it's my favourite one. I hope you enjoy it as much as I did writing it.

**Chapter 21―Engagement On Hold**

She awkwardly took a spot beside the windowsill and watched the commotion going on at the school gates. Noticing the numerous flashes coming from the said location, she momentarily glanced at her best friend in silence.

Hinata was hoping to expect the worst and the sight of Sakura's distant yet forlorn expression spoke for itself. She felt her own mood turning sour. Sakura's sullen form was merely a part of it, but it was her inability to do something to relieve her of the pain she was feeling. She felt useless.

She squinted as she saw a limousine parked at the front of the school and the two celebrities came out with a swarm of reporters immediately surrounding them. So the newspaper article wasn't a lie. They were together, but how and when did it happen?

Taking another look at Sakura, she realized something.

Sakura-chan liked Sasuke-san?

* * *

The commotion about the sudden news about Uchiha Sasuke and Yamanaka Ino's secret relationship became known throughout the whole school that even the faculty members started discussing the matter.

Hinata felt her uneasiness about the issue continue to increase throughout the day that she didn't even hear Hatake-sensei call her up to the board to answer a question. Oh, how embarrassing! Well, she wasn't the only one distracted.

The same fate was brought on to Sakura when their sensei's call was ignored as she continued to look out of the window in a trance. Fortunately, Sakura was able to answer the question at the next sound of her name being called without their sensei repeating the question for her. Disappointment could be seen at some of their fellow classmates that there wouldn't be anything worth humorous to relieve them with the boredom of the class.

If things couldn't get any worse, it was that Yamanaka Ino had to come to their class during lunch that resulted with Watanabe Ami confronting her within the classroom about the news.

* * *

"Sasuke," Ino called gleefully as she came into the classroom with a smile just as lunch started.

The students in the class turned expectantly towards Sasuke, waiting for his reaction.

He gave her a mere glance and proceeded in keeping all of his books and other school materials in his bag.

"I'm ready when you are, Sasuke-kun," she shifted her shoulder bag into a more secure position so that it wouldn't slide off.

Sasuke nodded as he shut his bag. "Let's go."

The two were about the walk out of the room when Watanabe Ami barged inside the room, glaring at Ino intensely.

Most of the student stood their ground and watched in anticipation to the next set of events that would unfold. Well, who could blame them―some people just liked gossip.

Sakura merely sighed in annoyance and used the unoccupied door at the back and slipped out of the classroom, not even being noticed by her fellow classmates other than her best friend.

Hinata anxiously became concerned about her friend and carefully slipped towards the back of the room and walked out of the classroom to check if she would find any sign of her friend. When she couldn't locate her, Hinata came to a decision. Taking her bag, she got out of the classroom and went to find Sakura.

She didn't like anything that was happening that day, and she refused to continue being a spectator. She had to do something, but first thing was to find Sakura… somewhere.

* * *

Hinata did succeed in getting Sakura to hang out with her after school, but she still held the same forlorn expression that made Hinata embarrassed. She felt that she wasn't doing a good job.

She needed to cheer Sakura up somehow. She tried having a random conversation with her, but Hinata would eventually be tongue tied that their discussion would come to an abrupt end. She wanted to try making a joke, but she was never good with making people laugh. Truthfully, Hinata never excelled in socializing with others and making her friends feel better was no exception.

She really didn't know what to do. She would always leave the initiation of discussions towards Sakura, since it was her forte. Sometimes Hinata would wonder why her best friend would try to hide this great talent that would give her a strong position in school.

She tried asking ones before why Sakura would dress in such odd ways that hid her physical attributes―yes, she knew that Sakura could look beautiful if she would only dress up―but she only got an evasive smile and a reply that it wasn't important. Hinata didn't press, but she wished Sakura would start coming to her if she needed someone there.

"Hinata," Sakura's soft voice broke the silence around them as they walked. She didn't pause or shown any hesitation with her speculation. "You like Naruto, don't you?"

Hinata's blush was immediate. She had to bite her lip when she had the urge to deny it, but this was her best friend. She didn't have to hide to her. "Yes, I do." Hinata smiled, silently giving an invitation that Sakura could tell her anything.

"What would you do if you find out he likes someone else?" There was hesitation when Sakura said it.

Hinata understood the meaning behind those words. Sakura had feelings for Sasuke-san and was afraid that those feelings were one-sided. She could relate to those feelings, not completely since she wasn't sure if Naruto had feelings for someone else so there was fear of rejection.

"My feelings for Naruto-kun are something I can't stop or change. It would hurt me if I find out that he likes someone else, but that's something that can't be helped. Even though my feelings might be unrequited it wouldn't matter." Hinata explained.

Sakura shook her head in disdain, "What's the point? If you're only going to get hurt in the end…"

"That's true," Hinata agreed, but she smiled with confidence Sakura had never seen from her before. "However, even if my feelings are one-sided, those feelings are what helped me get stronger than before."

Sakura pondered about Hinata's confession and her own feelings. She didn't know what she should do. She thought about her engagement, Itachi's bet and the development of Ino and Sasuke's relationship.

"How about you, Sakura-chan, do you like Sasuke-san?"

What would be the right thing to do?

* * *

Her name was Tsubasa, and she was their childhood friend. The three of them had been together since they were kids. He wasn't sure if she was aware of his brother's condition, but since he would see them smiling together, he made the decision not to say anything. He liked seeing his brother happy, and the times whenever he was with her was when he was the happiest.

In a way, one could say he was jealous of Tsubasa. After all, most of his brother's attention was focused on her. How he wished his brother was like that to him as well.

His brother was very protective of her when they were little kids. He didn't understand back then. Weren't brothers supposed to be closer to each other more than anyone? Why was he closer to that girl? What was so special about her?

He confronted his brother about it, but he merely got a ruffle on the head and was told that when he fell in love one day, he would understand.

He really didn't get it. He would fall in love… with a girl? Thinking of his childhood friend, Tsubasa, he mentally scoffed. Like that was happening.

It was after three years that he found out why his brother was overprotective of her.

He could hear his mother yelling inside the room. It had only been a week since his brother died. His entire family took it hard and his parents took more time at work to try and avoid the pain of losing their eldest child, leaving him alone to fend for himself most of the time.

He figured that he should give his mother the time to cool off, since a great possibility that an argument might ensue. However, it was the sound of another person weeping that drew his attention.

Someone was crying?

He heard the soft sobs once more that made him immediately open the door.

"It was your fault that my son died! You're not welcome here!"

It was his mother, but who was the other person?

He didn't hear a response, but his mother's hurtful statement only made the sob more coherent.

"If it wasn't for you, he would have immediately gone to the doctor when he had been sick, but no―he refused to go see the doctor because he didn't want you to lose the chance of obtaining a donor," his mother gave a bitter laugh. "He actually thought of giving his lungs to you. He would actually give his life for someone like you!" She gave an accusatory glare and gave in to her suppressed feelings and started crying for the death of her oldest son.

It was then that Sai finally understood what was going on, but there were still pieces of the puzzle he didn't possess. He walked in the room and alerted them of his presence.

"Mother, I've decided," Sai said, drawing his mother's attention to him. "I'll take care of her from now on."

His mother gave him a suspicious glare. "Why?"

Call it curiosity. He wanted to know about that feeling called love.

"Nii-san wasn't the only one who found her special" ―he saw his mother's horrified expression― "I'm also in love with Tsubasa."

His mother wished she had fainted. This was too much! Why was this happening?

Tsubasa was stunned. Did she hear him right?

Sai digested their mixed reactions with a smile.

He didn't believe his brother died for a girl he _loved_.

_What lies_, he thought with a scoff.

He groggily opened his eyes and shifted on the bed. A dream, was it?

Oh yes, how could he forget? That moment was the start of everything.

* * *

She was here… in front of his house. She had finally made up her mind. There was no sense backing down now. It was time to end this charade once and for all.

She was tired of lying. The sudden uproar of Ino and Sasuke's relationship made her realize that. She had to clear up all the lies and tell him the truth about―everything, whether it was about her life…

Or her feelings.

But then, wasn't he already aware of it?

The door opened revealing a cheerful made that greeted her with a smile. "Sakura-sama, how nice to see you! Please, do come in." The maid ushered her abruptly ushered her inside, not giving her a chance to reply.

It would seem that the household remained unaware about the news of the relationship of the young master of the house and the famous model, or it could be possible that they only feigned ignorance about it for her benefit.

Well, if they couldn't be any more thoughtful.

The maid directed her to the living room and told her that she would fetch the young master. They certainly didn't waste any time.

Were they trying to bring the two of them back together?

Sakura mentally shook head at the absurdity of her thoughts. There was no way they would waste their effort about something so trivial like her relationship with her fiancée.

Everyone knew that they were only engaged because it was convenient.

There was nothing 'trivial' such as an engagement.

Sakura wasn't sure if their _engagement_ would be kept by the way circumstances were changing. It wouldn't be long before their parents find out about her fiancée's new interest and they would definitely rush home to deal with it.

"So it's you."

Sasuke. His indifferent expression gave her a sense of doubt. Would he even care about what she had to say? He never gave her any reason to believe that he had any feelings for her as his fiancée. He may have feelings for 'Sakura' but not his fiancée, so was she doing the right thing?

No, she couldn't hesitate now.

"Sasuke―"

"Why are you here?"

Oh, don't get cold feet now! "Well… I wanted to talk to you about something."

Sasuke gave her a wary gaze and replied impatiently. "Make it quick since I have somewhere I need to go to."

"Where?" Sakura unconsciously asked, mentally scolding herself for prying. She knew how he was going to respond.

"That is none of your business, but since you're curious I'm going to meet Ino today," Sasuke replied coldly while finishing his statement with a mysterious glint in his eye.

_I see_. He really never wanted this engagement after all. She was a hindrance to his life. Sakura remained preoccupied in contemplating Sasuke's statement that she didn't realize that he was waiting for her reply and reaction.

No, she didn't get it at all! What the hell was he trying to do! What was Ino's role in all of this? "What are you trying to do?" Sakura asked, the anger building up inside her. The anxiousness of confessing her feelings were gone in an instant, and aggravation was left. The thought of him using her friend for his own personal gain made her mad. She wouldn't let him get away with it if that was the case.

"What exactly do you mean? You should make demands explaining what you want me to answer or we're just going to go in circles."

Sakura was not amused. "Why exactly are you 'going out' with Ino?"

Now this was something Sasuke did not expect. "Is that jealousy talking?"

"Answer the question, damn you!" Sakura didn't have the patience for his ridiculous side comments. She recalled her conversation with Ino the other day when Ino told her, _"If you get too comfortable, I'll steal him away from you. Consider this your final warning." _Sakura didn't want her friend to get hurt, which Ino would most likely would if Sasuke didn't have pure intentions about that announcement.

That wasn't what Sasuke wanted to hear. He needed her to slip. He needed her to admit it, and he finally had the opportunity to expose her after her next statement.

"If you hurt her in any way, I'll never forgive you." Sakura declared with determination.

"I'm not the only one that's been using people." Sasuke smiled, jumping at the opening and asked, "Saying that if I hurt her, are you speaking from personal experience?" He noticed Sakura become still at his accusation. "I never gave you a reason to think that I found _you_ special in any way, don't tell me that you did…?"

He was right. He never gave her any reason to think she was special to him as his fiancée, but as 'Sakura' however… no, but that couldn't be! Was he actually referring to her as 'Sakura'? _Don't tell me the reason why he did all those things for me was because…_

"_Your name is… Sakura."_

"_It's a nice name."_

"_It suits you, Sakura."_

"_I want to see you again."_

"_Thank you."_

He knew about everything―right from the beginning! He knew and she had been played for a fool all along.

"You knew… all this time you knew all along didn't you?" She whispered in disbelief, but it was articulated enough for Sasuke to hear. "You knew that I'm 'Sakura'."

"That's right."

So… right from the beginning…

"Then why go through the charade? I tried to tell you before but you brushed me off and made me believe you didn't know. What was the point of the times we had together then?"

"The point?" Sasuke repeated with a pause. "I found you interesting, that's all."

Ah, so _she_ was right.

She never stood a chance.

From the very beginning, she had already been rejected.

* * *

Naruto grimaced at his dumb luck. Rain was pouring and he forgot to bring an umbrella. It just had to rain at the worst possible time―why couldn't it have rained after they had got to his house. Ah yes, Naruto didn't want to think about what his friend was contemplating at the moment.

After all, they wouldn't be in this situation if he just had possession of his car. Damn that old man! Punishing him by taking his car and license because of his low marks―it wasn't fair! He was told that he needed to 'suffer a little' that he had to walk home from school from then on. His old man was a cruel old fart.

He really didn't like him at the moment.

"How far is your house, Naruto?" Gaara asked, finally voicing out his concern. Despite not really caring whether they got wet under the rain or not, he couldn't afford to fall ill with a cold for merely staying under the rain too long.

Naruto laughed awkwardly, earning a sharp glare from Gaara. It would seem that the excuse 'almost there' wouldn't be able to cut it, huh? "Two blocks," Naruto simply replied honestly, prepared for the sharper glare he was given. He had hoped that being direct wouldn't bring such a negative reaction.

The intensified glare he received told him otherwise.

Well, so much for that.

Naruto quickened his pace, influencing Gaara to do the same. Maybe getting there faster might tone his friend's anger down a bit.

Now focusing on the road ahead, Naruto noticed a figure coming closer towards them. It took a while before the person was more visible because of the rain obscuring the view. He barely recognized the girl who was absentmindedly walking towards them, but when he saw Gaara approach the girl, he finally identified the girl as the one he saw at the festival. She looked quite different without a kimono and being wet under the rain, since similarly to their situation, she didn't bring an umbrella as well.

Naruto trailed from behind Gaara as they came closer to the girl. It was then that Naruto noticed the forlorn expression her jade eyes were reflecting, but they immediately vanished when she noticed them coming towards her.

Naruto's earlier assumption proved to be correct since the girl greeted Gaara with a small smile.

Gaara, however, didn't return the gesture but merely asked sternly, "What are you doing out here in the rain?"

"Trying to cool off," the girl grinned, trying to wipe her sad expression with a smile.

"Why?" Gaara didn't buy it.

Her reply was too abrupt that it made no difference in trying to hide her problem. "It refreshes my mind."

"Sakura," Gaara warned impatiently.

Sakura's mask crumbled knowing that it was futile to hide her feelings any longer. "I… I already told myself that it was bound to happen sooner or later," a lone teardrop came down her cheek, and mingled with the raindrops cascading down her face, but it only triggered a soft sob that made her voice hitch. "But I didn't think it would hurt this much."

She didn't say anything else but merely lowered her head and let it rest on Gaara's shoulder, silently seeking comfort that Gaara didn't think twice in giving. Even before her head touched his shoulder, he wrapped his arms around her, bringing her closer to him.

Any thoughts of getting wet were forgotten by the two men as they listened to the soft sobs blending with the falling rain.

* * *

Sakura silently sat on the couch, a towel draped on top of her head. She was at the Uzumaki residence with her brother and Naruto when the blonde suggested they go to his house since it had only been a block away from the place they met. She vaguely recalled receiving the cup of tea in front of her now losing its warmth from her inattentiveness.

Naruto's exclamation did succeed in bringing her attention to the conversation occurring in front of her.

"WHAT! She's _your_ sister!"

Gaara sighed for the fifth time, "I told you that at the festival if you don't recall."

Naruto shook his head and clarified. "Not that! I didn't know that Haruno Sakura was your sister!"

Sakura merely stared at them blankly. Ah, so that was what they were talking about. Well, no matter, it was never a secret anyway.

"But what does that have to do with Sasuke?"

Gaara thought of what to say. He knew that his sister didn't want to disclose being engaged to the Uchiha, but would it still apply to this situation. The Uchiha residence was only a couple of blocks away from the Uzumaki's that the two families have been very close, maybe even close enough to know each other's secrets. Yet, Naruto didn't know?

The decision was taken away from Gaara, however, when Sakura bluntly replied, "Uchiha Sasuke is my fiancée."

"EH! WHAT! HOW? When did that happen?"

Sakura ignored Naruto's outburst when she sensed Gaara's questioning glance and answered him instead, "I don't care. It doesn't matter anymore anyway."

Gaara sighed in defeat.

"Wait―that doesn't make sense. What about the newspaper article about Sasuke dating Ino?"

Now, it was Sakura's turn to sigh. "It's complicated."

Naruto wasn't the only one curious about the situation. Gaara also eyed Sakura skeptically, but didn't protest unlike Naruto. He knew that she had too much in her mind right now and she wasn't ready to go into specifics.

"But now this makes me mad! I'll beat up that teme when I see him!" Naruto declared, annoyed that his best friend was openly hurting his fiancée. He really liked Sakura and he hated what his best friend was doing to her. She was one of the women in school―besides his Hinata-chan―that he wouldn't mind hanging out with. They might've been in the wrong page in the beginning of the school year when he didn't remember her, but when he realized that she was friends with Hinata-chan he immediately knew Sakura wasn't a bad person. It only took Hinata smiling at her friend that made Naruto justify Sakura's positive qualities.

It was when Naruto didn't witness any change in Sakura's mood as it remained as gloomy as before that gave Naruto the final decision.

Yup, he needed to beat up Sasuke for Sakura when he sees him.

Gaara couldn't have agreed more. His leniency with the Uchiha had been prolonged long enough.

* * *

Temari knew that to pry would be rude and annoying but the urge was becoming quite strong throughout the weekend when Sakura came home real down one night. She tried to ask Gaara since the two of them came home together, but Gaara didn't go into specifics. He merely said, "It's the Uchiha's fault", thinking that would be enough for an explanation.

Well, it did explain something but so little that Temari could only assume that the Uchiha her brother was referring to was their little sister's fiancée, Uchiha Sasuke. She could only imagine what happened between the two of them that made Sakura this depressed.

Temari had hoped that they would be able to have a decent conversation before school would start once again. Knowing their mother, she definitely had already took care of everything―which would mean that in a week's time, Sakura's birthday party would ensue with the whole student body invited.

What a way to take matters in _her_ own hands.

Sumire must've had been at her wit's end to want to drop the bomb like that. Like honestly, she gave no warning about it. Inviting the whole school to their house and other influential individuals to the party with an intention of broadcasting Sakura's social standing and engagement for the sole reason of making Sakura stop her unexplainable acts of self torture was _definitely_ not the way to do it.

Now Temari only had minutes to warn Sakura about the probable calamity awaiting her. If she didn't tell her about it before they get to school then Sakura might not be prepared of what she would be facing at school, considering that their mother already had the invitations distributed during the weekend. Her brothers already knew what was bound to happen later and Gaara clearly warned her to tread softly and consider Sakura's feelings at the moment but Temari had no time to think about that now.

"Sakura," Temari called.

She had to know.

Sakura turned and gave a questionable glance towards her older sister.

"I know it's not a good time for you right now, but there's something you should know about."

"What is it?" Sakura frowned.

"Mother really is making a huge celebration for your birthday, since she did mention that it would be the official announcement of your engagement to Uchiha Sasuke," Temari explained to her distressed sister.

"Really," Sakura sighed, trying to relieve the stress she had been feeling for the past few days. "'Announcement,' huh?" Well, this only added to her dilemma. "Next week?"

Temari nodded in confirmation.

It never ends, does it? If the party was the upcoming weekend, then it the invitations had already been sent. That would mean…?

"They already know then…?"

Temari understood the question. "It's safe to say that we're siblings in the open now, since everyone knows that the party will be held at the Sabaku estate. People would get confused why Haruno Sakura's birthday party will be held at the Sabaku residence and our relationship will be questioned."

Sakura agreed, knowing they had no other excuse out of that. She was _Haruno_ Sakura in which the _Haruno_ family were novelty but had no money. The house she was living in when she was little and was separated from her mother was the only land that the Harunos were able to keep with great difficulty. It wasn't as big as the Sabaku estate, but she used to love it there.

She refused to go there now due to unpleasant memories she wanted to forget. Besides, that was the place where her grandmother had her live in with her father after her father married her mother. She didn't want to go back there again.

It was after her father died that her grandmother cast her out to live with her mother. Maybe the old woman partly blamed her for what happened to her son, but she didn't care about her anymore after that. It was the last time she saw her grandmother.

She lived with her mother and siblings in the Sabaku estate since then. No one really questioned her relationship with her siblings before since they rarely saw each other at school. It wasn't really a secret since no one asked about it, considering that they didn't have the same last names and they rarely associated at school. They also rarely came together to school that no one thought they were anything other than acquaintances.

They didn't talk about each other to their friends since they barely had any relationship to begin with. The four of them had only been together for barely four years and came to a truce that they had to deal with their own family problem by themselves. They refused to talk about themselves too much knowing that it might lead to gossip.

They all knew what a hassle that would be; however, since it was already out in the open, it might not be too bad to admit it.

Temari, however, was worried about how Sakura would be treated from now on. "Do you want me to come by at lunch?"

Sakura smiled, moved by her sister's concern but shook her head confidently. "I'll be fine. It's nothing I can't deal with."

* * *

"Did you know?"

"Haruno Sakura lives in the Sabaku residence!"

"Oh my, you mean she's living with those cool siblings!"

"She's so lucky!"

"I heard she's an orphan and the Sabaku family were kind enough to let her live with them."

A jealous squeal was heard. "I want to be orphaned too!"

"You just want to live under the same roof as Gaara and Kankuro―"

"Temari-san as well since she's so cool!"

"So, that girl isn't a scholarship student?"

"Wait, who is she anyway?"

Kankuro sighed having the urge to plug his eardrums shut. He didn't like what he was hearing. Not only were they farfetched, the people around him didn't have a clue what they were talking about.

Gossip had started.

It couldn't get any worse, right?

* * *

Hinata looked around with a confused frown. She didn't understand what was happening and why everyone was talking about Sakura that way. Everyone was worse than when Sasuke and Ino's relationship was announced in the newspaper. All she could hear was something about Sakura now and most of it weren't pleasant.

She did receive an invitation about Sakura's birthday. She knew it was coming up, but she never expected to get invited to the Sabaku's house for the celebration along with the rest of the student body. It didn't make any sense. She wouldn't think that Sakura was rich. Actually, she never told her anything about it.

A subtle "Something in your mind?" was asked beside her that gave her a clue that it was directed to her.

Hinata turned around to see Sai smiling at her. She didn't answer, not knowing what to say. She didn't want to tell anyone her dilemma at the moment. She was supposed to be Sakura's best friend and was to be her support every step of the way, but right now…

"It seems that Sakura-san is the gossip of the week." When Sai didn't get the desired response he was seeking as Hinata remained as silent as before, he decided to take another route. "They say that Haruno Sakura is an orphaned girl that was taken in by the Sabaku's. It sounds just like a fairytale to me since it's such a farfetched tale," Sai chuckled at how absurd gossips were. "How about you, what's your take on it?"

Hinata was embarrassed and it wasn't because of her shy attitude towards other people but because she didn't know about Sakura's relationship with the Sabakus. "I… I don't know." She didn't know what else to say.

Sai took pleasure in the girl's confusion. "I see, then what about Haruno Sakura being a hidden rich young lady living a secretive life." He paused, seeing the girl stiff in distress. "Do you anything about that?"

Sai chuckled in amusement at Hinata's silence. The girl was fidgeting. Well, wasn't this just interesting. "Aren't you her best friend? You should be the one who knows the truth about her. Isn't it your job to defend her against the people who are throwing mud into her name? Hm, but considering how you are, you aren't _that_ type of girl?" He threw in the insult and got the desired results when Hinata started shivering. "Or maybe you just don't know."

Hinata wanted to run, but her feet remained glued to the ground. Her body refused to move. No! She didn't want to hear it―don't say it!

"It is possible that you don't know anything about Sakura at all?"

It was then that she felt her legs once more, subconsciously running away from him. She was afraid and hurt.

Everything he said were true.

The mixture of confusion, anger and sadness made her stop only when she went to the place she could be alone―the school dojo.

Did Sakura not trust her at all? Why didn't she tell her anything? If she had the confidence, she would have told Sai that maybe Sakura wasn't really to tell her about it yet… but was that really the case or was she merely deluding herself?

Were they even friends from the beginning?

* * *

"Should I give you a round of applause in this situation?" Ino remarked sardonically as she walked towards Sai in a casual manner.

"You're actually here early for a change."

Ino ignored that comment knowing that he wanted to divert the conversation elsewhere. "You're crueler than a girl." She was referring to how manipulative women were to get what they want, and witnessing Sai's treatment towards Hinata was worse in her book.

Sai smiled sensing the girl's malice. She must be angry from the incident at the hospital. They didn't see each other after that even when Ino and Sasuke's relationship was made public. Maybe that would throw her off. "Where's your boyfriend?" The attempt to change the topic under conversation didn't work. She glared at him for avoiding her statement.

"Why did you do that for?" Ino asked, referring to Sai's conversation with Hinata. "That was not necessary."

Sai shook his head with a sigh. "I don't get it. Why do you care? This should be going along in your favor right?"

Ino knew that Sai was talking about Sakura. After the incident at the hospital, she lost her trust in him. She didn't understand why he was here. What was his goal? Seeing him plant seeds of doubt towards the only person Sakura was close to in school gave Ino the presumption that it wasn't anything good.

He was mistaken though. "I don't hate Sakura," Ino simply stated, correcting Sai implied notion.

Sai refused to believe it. "Really, I don't see how that's possible. The girl you called 'best friend' before practically cut ties from you and you don't feel any ounce of resentment because of it. Now that wouldn't make sense."

"And that's where you're wrong, Sai. I can't say I never had mixed feelings about Sakura, but I never felt any hatred towards her." In seeing Sai's confused frown, Ino smiled. "It was never about making her pay about what she did to me. That isn't why I'm _doing_ this."

Sai wasn't stupid. He knew the announcement of Ino and Sasuke's sudden relationship was only announced for the benefit of one person―Sakura. He thought she was doing it for revenge―to make the girl suffer, but his assumptions were wrong. Now he didn't understand it. Why would she do it then? What was the reason she had that announcement for? "Are you saying that you don't feel anything for Uchiha Sasuke like the rest of the female student body?"

Ino shrugged, "I can't say I don't feel anything for him, but he and I came to an understanding and truce."

Now Sai really wanted to hear the reason of this. How interesting. The Uchiha had come to a truce with her, huh? He had never heard that excuse before. "Are you going to share your amusing conclusion with me?" He asked casually, leveling his interest to mild amusement, but he couldn't deny that he really wanted to hear it.

"He didn't really tell me _his_ reasons, but I know one thing." Ino brushed off his question, laying out her challenge to him. "No matter how violent or evil of a person other people say she is―I will never believe them until she tells me herself. Something happened while I was away two years ago and I know it relates to the three people: Tsubasa, Sakura and you. I will find out what that is and mark my words: if you were the cause of how Sakura is now, I _will_ make you pay."

Her challenge was all it took for him to chuckle. She really made a great joke. There was no way he would believe that. People with that kind of loyalty to people who betrayed them did not exist in this world. If she was really like that then he wouldn't classify her as any other than stupid. How absurd.

Ino scoffed at his offensive reaction. She knew that he didn't believe any word she said. Oh well, no matter. She didn't come here to prove him anything. The purpose of this conversation was already achieved. She had delivered her message, and made the first move.

Now, she wanted to see how Sakura was going to react.

She only hoped that the action she took that would drive Sakura back to her old self was the right one.

It had been quiet when Sakura arrived at school. Considering that Temari stuck to her like glue when they arrived at school, no one dared to come near her… yet. Sakura was happy that Temari took the time to try and protect her, but she knew that it would only prolong the inevitable. The moment when Temari left her side, it would start―she was sure of it.

* * *

It was only a brief moment that Sakura had peace when Temari reluctantly left her to go to her first period classroom that was in the opposite direction of the school building. The moment she arrived at the floor of her classroom, Ami appeared before her wearing a smug smile.

Sakura knew it. _Here goes nothing._ She waited for her nemesis to start with her long trail of insult, which never came.

Instead, Ami turned to her two lackeys and said, "See, I was right. It's just not possible that it's _her_."

Aya scoffed, "She's too ugly."

"There's no way she can actually plan a decent party that's worth going to," Aki nodded, adding her share of insults.

Sakura noticed a small crowd gathering around them, hearing the commotion. Sakura inwardly smiled. _Ah, so it starts._

Ami sighed, "It must be someone else in school since the invitation clearly stated that she's a student in our school."

"I wonder who she is. She must be someone really beautiful…"

The rest of their insults became a blur for Sakura. She couldn't even remember them from how unoriginal and repetitive they sounded. Couldn't these girls get to the point? Amateurs.

"You call this entertaining," Sakura chuckled, earning an abrupt pause from the 3-A girls. The spectators also became silent from her odd response. No one knew what she was talking about.

Ami was the one who voiced out her confusion. "What are you saying?" Leave it to the girl to try and hog the spotlight.

"If you're trying to insult someone, please do it with more imagination and style," Sakura muttered casually. "I was starting to get bored."

Aya and Aki gasped at Sakura's arrogance.

Ami's eyes widened from shock. It took her a while to regain her composure. Sakura was already walking away, leaving the crowd in tense silence, when Ami was able to yell in anger, "Wait a minute―you bitch!"

Sakura sighed, stopping at the edge of the crowd's circle and turned around. "Name calling now? I thought you were more original than that."

"Watch what you say," Ami warned firmly.

Sakura smiled correctly predicting Ami's next moves or rather, her reactions. "Threats now? You really disappoint me; I thought you had more originality than this. You were amusing before, you've lost your touch perhaps."

Ami was grinding her teeth in rage. She was very close to inflicting physical harm on Sakura―real close.

Sakura's smile twitched triumphantly, "And _that's_ how you aggravate someone. Try better next time." Sakura stopped herself from walking away and added, "I look forward in seeing you Saturday." The urge was too good to pass up.

Well now―that felt good! The weight from being rejected and her mother's annoying meddling was lifted off her shoulders and she felt like she could finally relax.

That was refreshing!

* * *

"Sasuke!"

Sasuke gave Naruto a glance as he approached him. He ignored the assertiveness in his tone, significantly meaning that his mood would lead to a fight between them. He didn't wait for him though and simply continued walking down the hall. He ignored the ogling and the longing sighs he heard from the girls he passed by, getting used to the event as a normal occurrence.

"Wait a minute!"

Sasuke mentally sighed. Naruto―that idiot! Couldn't he stop being so loud?

Naruto growled in annoyance. That stupid guy's ego! Couldn't he be considerate for one moment? "If you don't stop I'll broadcast to the whole school about your engage―"

Naruto got the response he desired. Before he could finish his sentence, a book was thrown at his direction, making him pause as his attention focused in catching the said object before it reached its destination―his face. His achievement had been in vain however, when he barely had the time to react before he was dragged away from the hall where passers-by could lead into full of witnesses of their conversation. Naruto cursed at his luck. He just had to be dragged by the back of his collar, in which he would have understood if Sasuke would simply tell him to shut up and go to a secluded area. Damn Uchiha and his pride!

Finally reaching a secluded area, Naruto pulled himself out of Sasuke's grasp, scowling as he dusted himself off. Sometimes he never understood why he became friends with the guy in the first place.

"How do you know?"

Naruto took a moment to compose himself in order to be able to give a reasonable reply. Public humiliation was something he didn't sit well with. "I found out after Gaara and I found Sakura-chan crying under the rain." When Sasuke didn't reply and merely looked away as if in contemplation, Naruto's anger came back, telling him off recalling his original intention. "You're a bastard Sasuke!"

"Is that all she told you?"

Naruto didn't like Sasuke's attitude. Why was he asking such useless questions? "It's perfectly understandable what you did since you made the girl cry Sasuke."

It became clear to him that Naruto didn't know anything. His friend was really the type of person to be ruled by his feelings. "Stay out of it, Naruto."

"Like hell I will!" Naruto retorted. "She's your fiancée and you're not treating her the way she deserves to be treated."

Sasuke chuckled at how simple minded Naruto was. He really didn't understand what he was saying, or getting into. "Have you ever been engaged without your consent, dobe?"

Naruto blinked questioningly. What does that have to do with anything?

"Being engaged to someone doesn't mean it's because of 'love'. You live in the social monarchy where wealth craves for more wealth. Despite trying to rebel against it, you _should _have some idea what that means, don't you?" Sasuke asked, finally rendering Naruto speechless.

How was he supposed to respond to that? An arranged marriage. It wasn't as common as before but it still existed―usually arranged in wealthy families and nobles. That meant he didn't feel anything for Sakura-chan and that was why he rejected her, but it was different for Sakura-chan. He felt it.

Sakura-chan was in love with his best friend.

An arranged marriage mixed with one-sided love.

It was out of his hands.

* * *

It was later that week when Sakura arrived at Tsubasa's hospital room unannounced. She never did visit her during the week since she was usually busy, which was why Tsubasa was puzzled. Why was she here? Did she know?

"I heard you're back at the hospital again," Sakura greeted, giving her a warm smile.

Tsubasa kept her mouth closed. _I'll never leave the hospital again, that's why._

"Are you feeling better?" Sakura asked in concern.

_I'll _never_ be better,_ Tsubasa wanted to cut her off with that scatting remark.

"Sorry I came here without telling you first. I wanted to talk to you about something," Sakura grinned apologetically.

Tsubasa was able to ask softly, despite the turmoil her emotions were making. "What is it?"

"I came to apologize," Sakura lowered her gaze, in repentance. She already made up her mind. It was time to put an end to it. Tsubasa's frown didn't even put a dent to her decision. "I came to tell you that I can't keep my promise."

Tsubasa looked away from Sakura, realizing what she wanted to say.

"I said that I would live like you did as penitence for what I did to you. I would isolate myself from everyone and give up my popularity. When I realized what I did to you, I vowed that I didn't deserve to ever be happy since I ruined your life," Sakura sighed, having difficulty letting out all of her enclosed feelings. It had been a long time since then, and yet recalling the incident two years ago did make her hesitate.

No. She had done enough. She couldn't do this anymore. "But…" Sakura paused and gave a determined smile "I think two years worth of torturing myself has been enough. I realized that that isn't enough to compensate for what happened to you, so I've decided that from now on, I'll live a life worthy enough for the both of us."

Tsubasa stared at Sakura silently in disbelief. What? No! No, this wasn't happening! Sakura wouldn't do this to her! Live a life for the both of them―that was insane!

"That's how I'll atone for my sins," Sakura finished and after a while she left, earning no response from Tsubasa. Sakura figured that she might not want to be alone for a while.

Sakura… she was going to leave her.

This was all she wanted before. She wanted Sakura to leave her alone once and for all after she was assaulted and hospitalized. That was all she ever wanted… but now…

She hated her for what she did, which was why she couldn't have agreed more when Sakura volunteered to give up her popularity as a reflection of the life she lived when they met.

Now, she gets the chance to turn her life around. It wasn't fair. The feelings of loss when Shin died resurfaced and the pain brought tears to her eyes. Why? It was just like that time…

"_I'll protect you, no matter what. I won't let you die."_

That was what he said but he left her and died first. It wasn't fair! The promises that people made with her had always been broken. Everyone was leaving her.

She didn't want to be alone again.

_Don't leave me, Sakura_

_Shin… I'm scared._

* * *

The designated date has arrived. Their mother, Sumire, came back a couple of days before to complete the arrangements for the occasion. Everything was perfect. The celebration was to be held at the garden where the cherry blossoms have fully blossomed. Sumire had already planned for this occasion after many years. She had ordered for cherry blossoms to be planted on the back yard, hoping that they would all bloom for this occasion. Her hopes weren't dashed. All the cherry blossoms in the back yard had bloomed that would give beautiful scenery of pastel colored clouds hovering above their visitors. Usually some would bloom late resulting in the other early bloomers to have already fallen out of the tree. It wasn't like that this year though. She was ecstatic.

Sumire wanted the cherry blossoms to be fully bloomed where her daughter, Sakura, would celebrate her 17th birthday so that she would get good luck. She wanted happiness for her daughter and she prayed that this would have a high influence to that possibility.

"Sumire-sama!" Ayame, their housemaid called out apprehensively.

Sumire pleasantly smiled at the girl, thinking that nothing could bring her mood down since everything was going according to her plans.

"Sakura-sama is―she's―I tried looking for her everywhere, but I couldn't find her." Ayame admitted guiltily, blaming herself for the disappearance of the girl.

Well, not quite. Problems would always come in different ways.

"It's only an hour left before the guests would start arriving and I checked to make sure that she was ready and I couldn't find her in her room―or anywhere!"

Sumire sighed. She was afraid that this would happen.

* * *

"Hinata-neesama, that guy, Uzumaki Naruto came here to see you," Hyuuga Hanabi informed her sister calmly, despite the knowledge that their father's dislike to the boy. Knowing her sister's affection towards the boy, she decided to add for her benefit, "He's talking with father at this moment."

Hinata's eyes widened in alarm and it didn't take long to make her stumble to climb out of her bed and run out of her room.

Hanabi shook her head in and thought in dismay, _Typical._

Hinata arrived just in time to see her father stand up with a solemn expression in his aging features.

"Tou-sama…"

"I've been notified that it's the birthday of the daughter of Haruno Sumire and you've been invited to the event."

Hinata lowered her head to look away from the stern gaze her father was giving her, diminishing her confidence in an instant. She had to think twice before she was able to answer meekly, "Yes." She expected her father to ask her why she wasn't dressed or why wasn't she going, but as if reading her mind, Hiashi gave her no room for an argument.

"I expect that you would show up as a proper representation of the Hyuuga family. Don't disappoint me and when you show up; be on your best behavior."

Hinata looked up in incredulity. There was no way she was allowed to say no to that. Her father completely stated that she was definitely going, and there was nothing she could do about it. Now she really had to go, but she didn't want to.

"Hinata-chan?"

She turned around at the sound of Naruto's voice calling her. She almost forgot that he was the reason why she came downstairs that led her to seeing her father―wait, where was he? She looked around the room to see if her father was within the room or anywhere near and found no trace of him. He was gone. There was really no chance for her to reason with him and say that she didn't want to go ― was there?

"Hinata-chan," Naruto repeated once more, finally bringing Hinata's full attention towards him. "Did something happen between you and Sakura-chan?"

Hinata said nothing and looked away.

"But you're friends… aren't you?"

Hinata sighed in uncertainty, "Naruto-kun, I'm sorry… I'm just confused right now. I don't even know… with everything that happened lately… I just…" She didn't know what to think anymore.

"Sakura-chan really cherishes you, Hinata-chan," Naruto grinned confidently.

Hinata shook her head in denial. "How can you be so sure? S-she didn't tell me anything," her voice quivered dejectedly. "I don't know anything…"

Naruto couldn't blame Hinata-chan. There were a lot of mystery about Sakura, but he knew she wasn't an awful person.

"_I… I already told myself that it was bound to happen sooner or later," a lone teardrop came down her cheek, and mingled with the raindrops cascading down her face, but it only triggered a soft sob that made her voice hitch. "But I didn't think it would hurt this much."_

No, it wasn't possible.

"She may have her reasons. I don't know what it is, but there's one thing I know," Naruto placed a hand on Hinata's shoulder as a comforting gesture. "She needs you right now―more than ever. I'm sure that after her problems are solved, you'll be the first one she'll confide in."

Hinata slowly nodded. She sniffed in relief, a great weight lifted off her shoulders. She couldn't agree more. Yeah, she would wait. She had to trust in Sakura.

"So then," Naruto released her and laid out his invitation with a smile, "shall we go there together."

Hinata made no gesture to show her agreement, but instead made Naruto step back uncomfortably when she jumped on him and abruptly wrapped her arms around him, hugging him tightly.

_Thank you, Naruto-kun._

* * *

"She's just like her namesake―beautiful and lovely!"

Tenten didn't know how long she could take in hearing all about how great Haruno Sakura was until she would put her companion out of his delusional state and render him unconscious. She already reasoned with herself beforehand that she would have to take care of his unconscious body and that would be too much work for her. She had enough stress in the hospital.

"I am so lucky―being invited is such an honor! I bought the perfect present that I hope Sakura-san would love."

Tenten didn't want to hear anymore. This was the last time she was going anywhere with Lee. Well, he was usually quite tolerable, but she never knew about his fetish with Haruno Sakura until today. She should scratch the first thought then. The appropriate thought was that she wouldn't go anywhere Lee when Sakura was concerned. He would become too… emotional.

Ugh, she was definitely looking for Neji when they arrived. She wasn't going to be the only one to deal with Lee. It would be difficult to ask Neji to accompany her in the party with Lee close to her. Hm, she'll find a way. She usually does.

* * *

He didn't understand what the big deal was. He knew that announcing a relationship with another woman would be an invitation of a huge confrontation with his father. That wasn't the problem though.

His mother and father arrived earlier during the week, and his father wasted no time and immediately looked for him. He was even sent home early that day, so that his father could demand an explanation from him what was the meaning of the ridiculous announcement in the newspaper.

Fugaku might not have been satisfied with his petty explanation that he immediately made a conclusion to the dilemma, which Sasuke did not like one bit.

It was the last act of rebellion his father was going to tolerate. At the climax of the party, he placed an order that left no room for arguments.

Sasuke would announce his engagement to Haruno Sakura and deny his relationship with Yamanaka Ino or his father would.

Breaking the said engagement seemed to be impossible now.

* * *

"_Don't worry, you'll understand one day," Shin grinned as he ruffled his younger brother's head affectionately._

"_No matter how violent or evil of a person other people say she is―I will never believe them until she tells me herself. Something happened while I was away two years ago and I know it relates to the three people: Tsubasa, Sakura and you. I will find out what that is and mark my words: if you were the cause of how Sakura is now, I _will _make you pay."_

It was there. He felt it when Ino gave him that warning. He sensed the same feeling when his brother told him that he would understand his brother's feelings the moment he fell in love. It wasn't the same as the impression he felt when he was talking to Ino that time, but it was similar. At that moment, he knew that Sakura was important to Ino just like Tsubasa was important to his brother Shin.

_Sakura..._

_"Well, we have an acronym as a sign of our friendship," Sakura grinned giddily._

_Sai looked at her politely, merely slightly curious yet somewhat indifferent, "Oh?"_

_Sakura gave a proud smile, "SaI, that's what we named ourselves."_

_A joke? He wouldn't disappoint her if she wanted him to laugh, since he did find it amusing and chuckled at the irony. Immediately he knew… this girl liked him._

_She wasn't fond of his reaction to her statement and glared at him, "What's so funny?"_

_"I know that was meant to be a joke, and I do find that hilarious," Sai paused to say, but resumed laughing when the thought came back to him once more._

_"It not a joke," Sakura protested. "I was being serious!"_

_Finally, he was able to stop sniggering and smirked knowingly. "I suppose you're going to say that it means Sakura, Ami and Ino."_

_Now it was Sakura's turn to start giggling. The reason why he started laughing at her was because that's what he thought it meant. Oh, that was rich. "That's what most people think, since everyone knows that the three of us like you" ―Sai didn't see any hesitation when she admitted her feelings for him only to see her giving him a noble smile― "But for me, it means something completely different."_

_It was at that moment that she was able to captivate him._

_"It's a sign of my friendship with Ino―that we're best friends."_

_… like he was looking at her for the very first time._

_"Sakura and Ino, which is SaI for short," Sakura giggled cheerfully, "Cool huh! Instead of SaI being written all in katakana ― like your name ― the 'Sa' from my name is in katakana, while the 'I' from Ino's name is written in hiragana. So SaI!"_

_He had fallen for her._

Sai cursed the memory with a sigh. Those feelings were only a moment of confusion. There was no way he would fall for anyone. He had to focus on his plans. He had no time to start daydreaming about the past.

Taking his jacket, he walked out of the door. It was time to go to the Sabaku mansion.

He was invited after all. It would be rude to decline a humble invitation.

* * *

Temari sighed nervously, checking around the garden for the sign of her little sister. Most of the guests had already arrived and had asked for the celebrant. Barely able to get a decent excuse that would prevent her from embarrassing her family in front of their guests, Temari prayed that they could find Sakura soon.

_Lying to them is getting harder._ She started tapping her foot impatiently. Where was that girl?

"You know, you're going to make people wonder if there's a problem if you keep looking like that," a voice pointed out from beside her.

Temari scowled in recognition, "Go away Nara."

"You should stop looking so nervous or people are going to wonder. If there's a problem, start being more professional and don't show it," Shikamaru suggested, taking a sip from the glass of wine in his hand.

Ugh, he was definitely not helping. Ignoring his advice, Temari sighed once more but tried to be more casual in peeking at the garden for the sign of her little sister.

Shikamaru sensed the tension of the woman beside him increasing. Barely thinking of what he was doing, he handed her his glass in which she took without a fuss and gulped down the rest of the wine still in the glass. Maybe that would calm her down. He took the empty glass that she handed back to him silently and observed her.

Temari didn't even notice that he stayed beside her since then, holding an empty glass in his hand. She was too preoccupied in trying to scan the increasing guests in the garden for her little sister. Looking for long pink hair as a mark was a mistake, since she didn't even notice that her sister had just walked in the room until most of the crowd started focusing at the entrance of the garden.

Noticing that the attention of the people around her were directed towards their house, Temari conformed and turned towards her left to see what the commotion was about. Her mouth opened with a gasp in what she saw.

* * *

Sakura appeared at the far end of the cherry blossom garden that was their backyard, wearing a simple knee-length red Chinese-style sleeveless silk dress with the fastening frogs on the left and a slit all the way to mid-thigh exposing her right leg every time she walked. A slender silver belt accentuated her tiny waist, and her slender legs were encased in soft suede brown boots from below the knee down. Her previously thick lenses were conspicuously absent, clearly showing off the pure green color of her eyes. Matching silver teardrop earrings and a teardrop necklace completed the hip ensemble ― for a chic club ― not an elegant and classy first-rate birthday ball. And to complete the shock value of her image: Sakura's previous waist length pink hair… was now shoulder length.

She could feel everyone's eyes directed towards her. Some were shocked. Some were confused. Some were amused. She noticed smirks, snarls, gasps, glares, squeals, and even scoffs. It didn't matter to her what anyone thought. Silently and confidently, she made her way towards the small stage positioned at the far end of the garden.

She didn't stop for long for any greeting she was giving. She would immediately excuse herself and make her way towards the stage as casually and quickly as possible. When she reached her destination, she ignored the wary glance that her siblings were giving her and made her announcement.

"Hello everyone, my name is Haruno Sakura, and I am celebrating my 17th birthday today. I'm sorry for my tardiness, but I was delayed because of personal reasons," she spoke on the microphone, earning all the guests attention at once.

"Thank you all for coming today, but before we continue with the party I have an announcement to make," Sakura paused, intentionally making the crowd apprehensive, "From this day forward, my engagement with Uchiha Sasuke is officially broken."

**_TBC_**

* * *

**A/N:** Cliffhanger much? Please review. I'm interested with the feedback for this chapter. I hope it cleared some of the fog in the last chapter. There's more mystery in this chapter too, but it will be explained in the future, so do not worry. I sincerely hope you're excited for the next chapter, but here's a preview if you're interested.

* * *

******Chapter 22 – Aftermath**

Her eyes narrowed suspiciously as he approached her. She didn't trust him. Why did he save her? He wouldn't do it just because he was feeling gallant. Itachi… gallant? That could never happen.

"Why are you here, Itachi-san?" Sakura asked, wary about his true intention.

"I just thought that since you're heartbroken, Sakura-san, I could help you feel better" ―Sakura's opened her mouth in shock, not believing what she was hearing― "How about being with me instead?" Itachi finished with a confident smirk.

He was joking… right?

* * *

**Updated:** April 3, 2010


	22. Aftermath

**Engagement On Hold**

**Summary:** (AU) Uchiha Sasuke is Konoha High's reigning prince. Haruno Sakura is…? Who is she again? What happens when the guy everybody knows finds himself engaged to the girl nobody knows?

**Genre: **Romance/Humor/Drama

**Pairings: **Sasuke/Sakura, Naruto/Hinata, Shikamaru/Temari

**Author:** pei-chan

**Disclaimer:** Wouldn't it be nice if Sasuke and Sakura were really engaged in the Naruto series? Then again, that would only occur in our dreams… ne?

**A/N:** Updated within the month. Thank you for the wonderful reviews from the last chapter. I'm glad that I still had the touch of surprising you guys. I didn't expect most of you to would think that Sakura wouldn't break the engagement first. I thought it was obvious.

I want to mention how wonderful I think of Ino's character. If you don't recall in the manga, Sakura broke her friendship with Ino, not the other way around, so I decided to make the fic similar on how Sakura left not telling Ino all about it. In a way, Ino's the kind of person many will desire to be friends with, since she's a really nice person.

About Sai, he's not going to be in this chapter much. I was glad when **Callista Miralni **mentioned Sai's character. That was the character I was going for: 'socially inept in so many ways but at the same time, he understands a lot of things about human interaction'. I couldn't have said it better myself. In a way, he's just like in the Naruto manga. That made me really happy, knowing that I was going in the right direction. Thank you!

This time… I guess you could say there will be lots and lots of… er… I won't say it. Read it and find out.

* * *

**Chapter 22 – Aftermath**

Each step took her closer to reality. Each agonizing step she took made the feeling inside her stronger. She wanted to turn around and run away. Was this the right thing to do? She didn't know the answer to that. All she knew that the moment she stepped onto that stage, her life would change―completely.

"From this day forward, my engagement with Uchiha Sasuke is officially broken."

She finished the statement trying to remain as calm as possible. She knew the consequences of her actions. She couldn't say that she was ready to face them head on because she was afraid of what the future had in store for her. All she was certain of was that after that announcement, her life was going to be difficult. She would be shunned and prosecuted, and the bullying might even start to become physical.

She knew how the rules worked; after all she used to be popular.

_Let it begin._

* * *

Seeing the new length of Sakura's hair now barely touching her shoulders was enough to give Sumire a heart attack. Why would she cut her hair? It was her passion and the one thing she cherished the most.

Hearing her daughter's announcement about breaking her engagement with her fiancée made Sumire silent.

Hinata couldn't believe it. What…? Sakura-chan was engaged… to Sasuke-san…? When? How? Why… didn't Sakura tell her?

_Sakura-chan…_ Hinata thought sadly, looking over towards the said girl stepping down from the stage. However, Hinata's melancholy dissipated once she glanced at Sakura once more.

She gasped in shock when realization struck her like a bolt of lightning. No way… was it her?

It couldn't be.

Shaking her head with a sigh, Temari muttered a low statement under her breath that made Shikamaru peek at her inquiringly. Placing the empty glass on the tray and immediately taking two full glasses of wine from the same location, Temari handed the other glass casually towards Shikamaru with a delighted smile.

Now Shikamaru was curious. This woman's mood swings were starting to confuse him. He took the glass hesitantly but didn't say anything, thinking that it would be the wisest decision.

"Let's have a toast," Temari suggested, earning a raised eyebrow from Shikamaru. Her present mood made her tolerant to Shikamaru's lack of enthusiasm.

Shikamaru took a sip of the wine and finally asked, "For what?"

"For the great turn of events," was Temari's answer. Smirking, she drank a gulp of the wine in satisfaction.

Finally!

Despite being in different locations at the garden, the two Sabaku brothers had similar thoughts at the moment Sakura announced her broken engagement.

With a smirk on Gaara's features and a contented smile that curving Kankuro's lips upwards, the two brothers simultaneously thought, _About time._

Itachi had to commend her―she really knew how to make things entertaining. That was unexpected. He would never have thought that Sakura would reveal her identity towards everyone in the room―and announce and break her engagement with Sasuke concurrently.

She never ceased to amaze him. She did her part well―extremely well.

Itachi wasn't disappointed.

Sai smirked, amused at the turn of events. He didn't expect that. Sakura and Sasuke were engaged. Ah, now it made sense. The times when Uchiha Sasuke would come when he least expected and mess up his plans only occurred because Sakura was his fiancée?

No, that wasn't Sasuke's reason and Sai felt it.

He chuckled at the irony of the situation.

Being a spectator wasn't such a bad thing after all.

* * *

The announcement that Sakura made repeated in his head over and over. Again and again, he tried to distinguish if he was dreaming or if this was reality. Something that he would never expect to happen already came true.

Sakura broke her engagement to him―in front of dozens of famous and wealthy individuals.

Wasn't she in love with him? He couldn't fathom the reason for her actions.

Why?

* * *

"Wait."

It was the only opportunity for him to talk to her in private. Ever since her announcement, every guest has approached both his family and hers to get the details of their previous engagement and the sudden breaking of it. Many were curious why it wasn't known in the business world that the Uchiha's heir had already handpicked the bride that unfortunately _deserted_ him.

Sasuke didn't care about any of their opinions or concerns. He only cared about one thing, and it was the only thing that didn't make sense to him. Didn't she love him? Her actions spoke for itself. He knew she was head over heels in love with him… so then… why would she break their engagement?

Sakura turned around calmly at the sound of his voice and faced him with a blank expression. She didn't say anything, so Sasuke asked plainly, "Why?"

Sakura shook her head, her lips quirking slightly upwards in what could pass for a smile, "You shouldn't ask such ridiculous questions." She faked a sigh, "You got what you wanted, aren't you satisfied?"

"What are you planning?" Sasuke asked doubtfully.

Sakura scoffed, knowing he was going to ask her that. "You kept telling me to break our engagement and it was getting tiring hearing it over and over. Since you weren't going to budge, I broke it off. Bottom line is: we never wanted to marry each other in the first place, why prolong the grief?"

"Why?" Sasuke repeated his earlier question. He wouldn't believe such a dry explanation coming from her. There was something else. He knew that there was another reason.

Sakura sighed, realizing they weren't going to get anywhere at that point so she asked her own question instead, "Why did you want to break the engagement in the first place?" It wasn't because he lacked any special feelings for her since many couples married with no prior feelings for one another and they wouldn't be any exception―except now. Her self-control was hanging by a thread, threatening to be snapped by the worst possible scenario becoming a reality.

It couldn't be the other reason.

"Because I promised to marry someone else," Sasuke replied simply.

Her composure crumbled and a sad smile crawled up painfully.

_Ah, so that's why._

She was right.

_There was nothing wrong with me._

Her worst fears came true.

_You already found someone else._

Evidence that her love was unrequited from the very beginning has come to be.

_I'm so unlucky._

* * *

Oddly enough, the ride home was silent. No one dared to say a word as if the silence was the only comfort in everyone's surroundings. It didn't help Sasuke's situation though. The silence only increased the feeling of dread welling up inside of him waiting for the blowtorch the party had created that would result in an explosion that would be directed towards him. There was no mistake that his father was furious with him.

Impatiently waiting in his seat, he wished they would arrive home soon enough. He preferred to deal with his father's tantrum sooner and get it over and done with. Better that than the deafening silence surrounding his entire family during their ride home that was tearing him apart in anxiousness.

Finally arriving at their manor, Sasuke went straight to his room, deciding that waiting a few minutes before going towards his father's study would be the best course to take. Sighing as he stood right in front of the said room, he slowly opened the door, knowing that his father was there waiting for him.

Seeing Fugaku sitting right by his desk with his hands clasped together and his gaze directed towards him in a stern manner didn't help in easing the anxiousness he felt. Walking to his father's desk, he sat on the chair in front of it and waited for the moment to arrive.

"How did your conversation with Sakura go?" Fugaku asked calmly with no sign of annoyance or aggravation in his voice.

That was definitely something he didn't expect. Where was the yelling and the threats? He remembered his father threatening to announce his engagement in front of the guests at the party if he didn't do it himself. He didn't understand why he would be interested in his conversation with his _ex_-fiancée? Wait. How did he know about that? Sasuke frowned in confusion.

Fugaku reading his son's last thought answered the silent question, patiently waiting for his own question to be answered. "I saw you going towards her during one of the transitions in the party."

If his father saw him then it would also mean that he wasn't stealthy enough and the rest of the guests had seen him as well. He wanted no one to know.

Sensing that he was unfortunately going to do the talking, Fugaku added, "Haruno Sakura came by to see me earlier this week."

Sasuke looked up, his frown molding into suspicion.

"She came by to break off the engagement in person," Fugaku stated plainly.

What? She did that? She actually broke off the engagement before the party. "You knew?"

"Yes I knew," Fugaku nodded. "She was completely serious about it too."

"Then why did you want me to―"

"Announce your engagement? I wanted you to be the one to counter her claim in wanting to keep the engagement."

His father wanted him to counterclaim it? He didn't want to admit it, but he would actually have done it since his father did initiate the order if Sakura hadn't beat him to it. She actually… saved him.

Gazing at Sasuke solemnly, Fugaku explained, "When Haruno Sakura came to me to break your engagement, she told me…

"_I want to break my engagement with your son," Sakura bluntly contended, prepared for any opposition to her proposition._

_Fugaku merely sighed, knowing that one of them was going to break the engagement sooner or later. He didn't, however, expect that it was going to be his son's fiancée asking him to break the engagement. "May I ask why?"_

_Sakura blinked at the composed response, but settled herself momentarily forgetting that she wasn't here on a whim. "I have no doubt in my mind that this is the right thing to do. I don't want a loveless marriage, and our marriage has a great possibility of ending that way."_

"_Even if you do marry not loving one another, you can still fall in love in the future. He would be your husband, after all."_

_Sakura shook her head, rendering Fugaku silent. "There's one problem with that: I'm already in love with your son."_

_Fugaku made a motion to reply but Sakura continued before he could even start._

"_But I don't think he'll ever love me in return."_

"Think about it, Sasuke, and make your decision."

Getting up from his seat, Sasuke walked out of the room without a word.

Right when the door closed with a click, another door at the opposite side of the room opened on cue. Itachi walked in trailing his calculating eyes from his father towards the door where Sasuke left from. "How did it go?"

Fugaku shook his head, "He didn't say much, so I don't know what he thinks about the situation. I do believe, however, that it worked."

Itachi nodded with a smirk, "Good, my departure has been delayed long enough." Before he could walk out of the room from whence he came, his father's voice stopped him.

"Wait Itachi," seeing his son stop momentarily, Fugaku continued, "If things had been different, would you have stayed."

"I was never the type to be holding too much responsibility. I never cared much for it. Sasuke is better off being the next head of the clan."

That was a lie. Fugaku knew how capable Itachi was. He was the perfect leader for the clan, but if only he didn't pressure him―both of them―none of this would have happened. "Sasuke is still too young for such responsibility."

"And I wasn't at the time," Itachi countered with a scoff. "I believe you are mistaken father. It isn't because Sasuke's too young, it's because he hasn't grown up yet."

* * *

The guests had all returned to their homes and the sounds of sweeping and plates clattering could be seen at the backyard. The whole family wasn't helping with the clean up though. They were all sitting down at the living room with the Sabakus casting worried glances towards the celebrant with their mother frowning. The siblings could feel waves of anger emanating from their mother that only increased their nervousness.

"Do pray tell what that was about?" Sumire asked tersely.

Sensing their sister's reluctance to answer, Temari and Kankuro tried to dissipate the negative air around them.

Patting Sakura on the shoulder, Kankuro commented, "That was great―the best announcement I've ever heard."

"You did a brave thing," Temari added.

The two of them earned a harsh glare that made them shut their mouths, biting their lips into silence.

Sumire sighed and repeated her question. Sakura flinched at the sound her mother's voice raising another octave.

Gaara quietly looked at Sakura and waited for her response. None of them knew about Sakura's plans in breaking the engagement. After finding out that she already went to the Uchihas to call the whole thing off, Sumire demanded an explanation that Sakura had yet to deliver. She did a foolish and reckless move and their mother's wrath was only part of the consequences she was entitled to.

"I…" she trailed off after a long moment, trying to figure out an explanation for her actions. Nothing came and her mind was completely blank. Sobbing only let the tears escape and the feelings of rejection resurfaced. "I'm sorry." It was all she could say and she repeated it again and again, crying not because of the fault of her actions, but because of the pain of loving someone like Uchiha Sasuke. "I'm so sorry." She didn't care if she was slapped by her mother because of her stupidity. It didn't matter. The pain she would feel would be nothing compared to what she was feeling now.

The feeling of a hand gently caressing the top of her head made her look up with a questioning gaze and a lone tear drop trailed down her cheek. Before she could see who was offering her such a comforting gesture, she felt a set of arms wrapping around her, squeezing her into a hug.

"It's okay," Sumire consoled softly.

Realizing that it was her mother who was comforting her, Sakura couldn't help but cry once more.

"I'm proud of you," Sumire whispered with a sigh of admiration. "You did great."

The praise only coaxed Sakura to cry even harder.

A compliment was something she never would've expected, but it couldn't help but bring warmth inside of her. Somehow, the depth of her despair was lessened, leaving shallow feelings of relief. The tranquility brought her serenity.

Even for a moment, she embraced the comfort she was given. She knew she would have to try harder in the future, and the small token she was given to relieve her pain was enough to give her courage.

* * *

Starting the new week, school had been different. The bullying didn't start until after Gaara left her side. Since they came to school together―because of Gaara's insistence―she only felt eyes around her with most of the women trying to glare her into dust and some of the males leering at her like some prize.

Sakura sighed. Coming to school now with her hair at shoulder length, she found it useless to tie it. Her uniform was the same, but she lacked the feeling of being a geek. She definitely didn't feel invisible anymore; however, there was one feature that stayed the same. Her thick lenses still shadowed her emerald orbs, decreasing the luster and shine it reflected. She figured that wearing contact lenses were taking a toll on her eyes and glasses were safer to use―definitely preferable.

Waving goodbye and reassuring her brother when he gave her an uncertain look, she left and went towards the direction of her locker. It didn't even take a minute for the bullying to start.

Getting to her foot locker, she took a deep breath knowing that opening it would be the start of the big change in her school life. She braced herself and vowed that she wouldn't back down. _I'm ready._

Despite mentally preparing herself for anything, she couldn't help but blink in shock when she opened her locker. Inside, she found her school shoes in tatters, mud mixed with water inside of it with the sole cut open. They had no mercy, huh? Noticing a note floating on top of the puddle inside her shoe, she took it and carefully opened it to see its contents.

_You feel special now? You haven't seen anything yet._

Subtle yet it had foreshadowing. Clever. They were learning, or better yet―_she_ was learning. Sakura knew who initiated this stage of bullying. Finally there was nothing anymore to hold them back.

Ami was finally becoming serious.

If this happened back then, she wouldn't have the guts to take it―any of it. She was a cowardly naïve fool back then. Not anymore. She was ready to take it.

_Bring it. I've learned from the best, after all._

Going to class wasn't as eventful as she hoped. She went to her locker, wary that they had compromised it too, but when she opened it and seeing no change inside since she left it, she admired their sense of style.

_At least they're not so low as to cut my lock open._

She was able to get to her classroom without any problems. She did find that odd. Were they waiting for her to crumble before they made the last move? No, when Ami bullied, she showed no mercy although sometimes, she did lack strategy. Ami only cared about seeing her victim suffer and she didn't care how she did it. She just went straight for the kill. Just like a lioness.

There weren't many students inside the classroom as she thought, but she still got the same reaction from her fellow classmates. The glares from the girls and some winks from the guys that she received was something she effortlessly ignored. Sasuke wasn't there, which was a great relief on Sakura's part. She didn't think she could face him yet. She wouldn't be able to face him the way she did at the party; she was still too emotional about what happened. Hinata wasn't there as well. It made Sakura wonder why she wasn't there yet. Before she could wonder what happened, she noticed a couple of girls approaching her desk.

"Can you come with us for a minute, Sakura-san? We want to have a chat with you in private."

Sakura inspected them closely. They weren't any of her fellow classmates. They came all the way here to get her, did they? "So where's the rest of your crew?"

The girl laughed, "Oh come on; we just want to have a friendly chat with you."

Right, might as well get this over with.

* * *

"So you're engaged to Sasuke-kun?"

Sakura gave an exasperated sigh. It wasn't Ami's crew. It was just some unofficial fan girls of Uchiha Sasuke that thought that being members of the official fan club would diminish their chances with him completely. Were these girls deaf or something? Didn't they hear her during her birthday party? "_Ex_-fiancée," she corrected.

"It doesn't change the fact that you were still together with him."

She was cornered by the wall at the back of the school with a bunch of girls surrounding her, and the topic of conversation was starting to get annoying. _You've got to be kidding me._ "It _was_ an arranged marriage. You should try it sometime. Your parents' choice might be more up to your taste than mine," she added just for spite.

It earned her many glares and a couple of snarls. "Just because you were engaged to him doesn't mean that you're any better than us."

Oh, so these people had inferiority issues. They tend to take everything as an insult. Great. What was she supposed to say to that? How was she supposed to break it to them gently? One more remark like that would send her to the infirmary and Ami didn't even have to move a muscle.

Hm, what to do?

"Our families are close friends, that's why," a voice intervened before Sakura could say anything.

Everyone's attention turned to the owner of the voice who spoke behind them. Most of the girls gasped when they saw Uchiha Itachi standing right behind them. Sakura could only look at him in surprise.

"Itachi-san, why are you here?" one of the girls asked.

"I saw the future member of _my_ family in trouble so I came to save her," Itachi said confidently.

Some of the girls gasped in shocked outrage.

Sakura blinked in shock. What did he just call her… his family?

"Now would you be so kind as to disappear from my sight. You people are an eyesore." He gave a sharp glare that made the girls disperse in enraged embarrassment.

Sakura could only gape in shock at how easily Itachi handled the situation. They were gone… just like… that. She expected that it was going to turn physical and tried to think of a way to get out of the situation, but Itachi saved her in time.

She mentally shook her head at the outrageous thought. He saved her? She still couldn't believe it. Noticing Itachi coming towards her made her turn towards him, gazing at him carefully.

Her eyes narrowed suspiciously as he approached her. She didn't trust him. Why did he save her? He wouldn't do it just because he was feeling gallant. Itachi… gallant? That could never happen.

"Why are you here, Itachi-san?" Sakura asked, wary about his true intentions.

"I just thought that since you're heartbroken, Sakura-san, I could help you feel better" ―Sakura's mouth opened in shock, not believing what she was hearing― "How about being with me instead?" Itachi finished with a confident smirk.

He was joking… right?

"What?" She asked, shaking her head in shocked disbelief. "Is that some kind of joke?"

Itachi chuckled, "No joke. You simply fascinate me Sakura-san. Revealing your identity not only to your fiancée but also to the rest of the student body was a great stunt."

"That was no stunt, Itachi-san. Your brother knew about my charade for quite a while," Sakura corrected. "He just managed to fool us both."

"So you're saying that you didn't fulfill your end of the bargain."

"On the contrary, since none of us knew about your brother's prior knowledge about it, it didn't matter anymore. I did plan on revealing it to him, thus realizing that he knew about it long before. Besides, you did get to witness a show much greater than that. A man of your caliber should have found that announcement more than enough to your taste."

"Exquisite," was his only comment, showing his approval of her actions. "I guess that means you don't believe me when I said I want to protect you from now on," he approached her slowly yet carefully that made her anxiously step back, trying to distance herself from him.

She matched every step he took with one of her own, but when she felt the solid wall blocking her escape, she could only gulp nervously, trying not to show how intimidated she was. "Telling someone how fascinating they are doesn't explain why they would suddenly want to protect them, Itachi-san," she tried to put on a brave front by trying to focus on their conversation but Itachi's actions were making her thoughts jumble in her head. Feeling his fingers grasp her wrist in a tight lock was enough to activate alarm bells inside her head, making her abruptly avert her gaze downwards towards her imprisoned hand. _What is he doing!_

Not realizing that it was his general intention to catch her off guard, Itachi tilted her head upward, immediately bringing her attention back to his face and focus on his eyes. Before she was able to make any sound of protest, he lowered his face and caught her lips onto his own and kissed her.

Sakura was motionless and only her eyes grew wide in shock. It went too quickly that she didn't even know it what was happening until it started. Itachi was… kissing her? Why was he… doing such a thing? Her thoughts were still a mess when he released her now slightly rosy lips with a proud smirk. He didn't pull away completely but merely changed his destination and brought his lips towards her earlobe, fanning it with his even breath.

"Do you still think I'm not serious?" He whispered in her ear, making her shudder unconsciously in response. When he didn't receive any reply, Itachi took it as a sign that he got his point across. He didn't release her wrist from his grasp, but he took a step away from her. Knowing that she would now yield to his suggestion, Itachi gave her a moment to recollect herself. However, she only managed to surprise him once more when she gave him a sharp command.

"Please let go of me, Itachi-san," she ordered firmly in short of a whisper. Her head was lowered that only increased how intimidating she looked.

Obliging to her request, Itachi released her and took an appropriate distance away from her. He wasn't a tad bit threatened, but he knew that it was the wisest decision at the moment.

"Knowing how I feel about your brother, you still pressed it just for your amusement. You're a cruel man, Itachi-san." Finally, she looked at him in the eye with a sharp glare, "Sorry to disappoint you, but even if you were serious―I don't do rebounds."

With that said, she walked away from him, cutting the conversation to an end. When she finally had turned around a corner in which Itachi wouldn't see her any longer, she covered her mouth with both of her hands one on top of the other. She still couldn't get it out of her head. He kissed her… just like that.

How cruel.

_I don't know when I'll get over him, but I don't need anyone to do it._

Lowering her hands to her sides, she made a full sprint towards her classroom with angry tears seen drifting away like crystals at the side of her face.

She was mad. Those Uchihas really knew how to tick her off.

* * *

"Was that enough for you, Sasuke?" Itachi looked over to the opposite side from where Sakura ran to and saw his younger brother stepping away from the wall he was leaning onto. Sasuke approached him with casual steps and Itachi merely added the question, "Are you satisfied," that didn't achieve the desired effect.

"What bargain," was Sasuke's only response.

"I only made a bet with your _ex_-fiancée about the possibility of her being in love with you in the future, in which I easily won," he peeked a glance to see his brother's reaction, but Sasuke only remained expressionless. "My condition in winning was for her to tell you about the little charade she put on you, but I must admit that I didn't think you would actually figure it out on your own." He chuckled in amusement, "A true Uchiha indeed." Ignoring the harsh glare Sasuke sent him, Itachi went onward, "I don't know if you were awake during the time that you were sick, but your fiancée was there for a while and took care of you for a bit."

Sasuke's mask instantly shattered. So he wasn't dreaming at that time?

"_I love… you."_

"_I'm sorry."_

He didn't dream of it. He actually heard her say it.

"She's not the same person you knew, Sasuke. She's much stronger than before. She's quite admirable―maybe I should pursue her―"

That idea was enough to make Sasuke silently march towards him and abruptly grab his shirt threateningly. "Don't you dare pull that stunt again, _nii_-sama."

Itachi smirked, "Are you jealous?" He chuckled when he realized something. "Did you want to be the one to save her, little brother?"

This time, Sasuke didn't restrain himself and his glare intensified with a growl.

* * *

It was one of those rare times that Ino came to school for the whole day. After hearing about what had occurred in Sakura's birthday, she told her manager to cancel all her engagements and photo shoots so that she could keep an eye on Ami. She had a feeling that Ami would definitely retaliate by publically humiliating Sakura just to erase her own shame of looking so foolish.

"What are you doing, Ami?"

They were on the gym lockers and Ami had been planning on ruining Sakura's gym clothes when the sound of Ino's voice stopped her group from cutting Sakura's lock open.

"What do you think?" Ami asked sardonically.

"Don't even think about it, Ami," Ino warned.

Ami laughed, not taking Ino's threat seriously. "Or what," she dared, raising her chin in challenge. "The time when you were popular is over Ino. I'm not in middle school anymore. I'm not that girl that used to follow you around like a dog. I don't have to tolerate _that_ girl anymore just because you say so. I rule this school now, and I don't need you anymore. I'll make _that_ girl pay for trying to trick me."

"You were just too stupid to notice," Ino countered bluntly. "You're just jealous that she had been engaged to Sasuke and got closer to him that you _ever_ would." With a smirk, Ino chuckled confidently, "You may be popular in _this_ school, but my name is known throughout the Western countries and many people in Japan know who I am."

Ami fidgeted in anger. She couldn't believe this was still happening. She still couldn't beat her.

"Your accomplishments are _nothing_ compared to mine," she said every single word slowly to get her point across.

Ami didn't say anything else and ran away with her two lackeys trailing right behind her.

"Amazing," a small voice said in awe coming from the door from where Ami ran out off.

Ino waited until she came face to face with a timid looking girl. She looked familiar yet she was someone she hadn't met before.

"You protected Sakura-chan despite all the rumors going on. Why?" the girl asked, gazing at her inquisitively.

Ino finally realized who this girl was. "You're Hyuuga Hinata―Sakura's friend! I thought you looked familiar."

Hinata merely looked away with a mysterious expression. "I'm not Sakura's friend," she mumbled.

Ino blinked in confusion. _Don't tell me… _she thought in wonder. Knowing that this wouldn't be a five minute conversation, Ino suggested, "How about we meet at a café tomorrow after school."

"Eh?" Hinata asked, looking back at Ino curiously.

"I'll answer your question then," Ino added with a smile.

* * *

School was almost over and only the two incidences involving her tattered shoes and the angry unofficial Sasuke fans were her harassment. It didn't confuse her in any way that Ami had not yet done her fair share of 'Sakura's public humiliation in front of the whole school' act since the issue with her best friend was bothering her.

Hinata hadn't said a word to her since their morning classes. Before Sakura could try to start a conversation, Hinata would completely disappear from her line of vision. It was as if she was… avoiding her. Sakura tried to think of a reason why her friend could possibly be mad at her. Was it because of her announcement? Maybe it was because she didn't tell her that she was related to the Sabaku siblings? She shook her head, thinking that those couldn't be the reason.

Could it?

Why would Hinata be mad at her to the point of completely ignoring her?

She had to admit; maybe it was lying to her best friend that might be the reason for Hinata's odd behavior. She hurt her best friend, and she _had_ to apologize. After school would bring the perfect opportunity since she just received a text message from Hinata to meet her at the roof top after school.

Finally, she could speak to her and apologize.

* * *

She couldn't form the words. She was supposed to apologize for lying to her best friend so that everything could go back to the way it was. She didn't think it would turn out like this.

"You're Sakura of the S.A.I. girls, aren't you?"

Apologizing was already out of the question.

"I can't believe I was so stupid," Hinata sighed and shook her head in pained disbelief. "I actually trusted you. The first time you talked to me and told me you wanted to be my friend, I actually felt so happy." She turned away, annoyed with herself for getting emotional. She didn't want to cry in front of her. "All this time, you've been laughing at me behind my back, weren't you? My problems have all been a joke to you, haven't they?"

Sakura wanted to shake her head and deny it. _That's not true_. The words didn't come.

"I can't forgive this―I can't forgive myself! I've been such a stupid person to trust someone like you."

Sakura could only watch Hinata's face scrunch into a painful frown as she turned away from her with tears in her eyes. She said nothing as she watched the only person she thought would stick by her walk away from her. She wanted to cry, but she couldn't. No tears came.

Somehow, it didn't feel as painful as she thought it would be. Odd, Hinata never said that she hated _her_. Sakura knew that she deserved it.

"How long have you been here, Gaara-niichan?" Sakura abruptly asked, feeling her brother's presence behind her.

Gaara didn't reply but jumped from his hiding place from the top of the stairwell and walked towards her.

"I really screwed up, huh?" Sakura gave a sad smile and turned towards him.

Finally standing right beside his sister he looked on towards the city, watching the clearing inattentively. He offered her no comfort and asked a blunt question. "What are you going to do about it?"

Sakura sighed wearily, "I don't know. How can I fix a problem when I don't even remember what I did?"

What a mess.

* * *

Kiba turned towards his tutor after hearing her sigh for the fifth time. They had made the appointment to meet after school since a Math test was coming up. He needed an A in the exam to pass the exam, which only added to Sakura's dilemma. However, her negligent behavior was going to make him lose that A and would lead to him flunking the damn subject. He really didn't give a damn, but retaking it was something he wouldn't enjoy.

Now, what was wrong with this one?

"Ne, if you're not going to tutor me then this session is a waste of time," Kiba complained.

That snapped Sakura out of her reverie and she flinched and abruptly turned towards him frantically. She apologized for her inattentiveness and managed to ignore Kiba's sulks. Giving him a new set of worksheets to do, she leaned back on her seat and watched her student work.

Only answering one question, Kiba lowered his pencil down and initiated a conversation. "I want to talk to you about your 17th birthday party."

"Let's not," was Sakura's immediate reply.

"Oh come on, I never knew you were quite the pretty girl" ―The sharp glare shut him up from commenting about her physical attributes further, so he went to another topic― "I was really impressed with your announcement. I never knew that you were engaged to…"

Sakura thought that it would be best to let him ramble on and on. Maybe in time, he would finally run out of things to say and get back to his work. In the meantime, she figured doing her own homework would be best. Time shouldn't be wasted.

"… I thought what you did back there was pretty hot―"

Her hand became frozen and hovered on top of her notebook in terror. Oh no!

"So I gave it some thought―"

Déjà vu! No―please! Please say anything but that!

"I want you to be my girlfriend."

Like a statue, Sakura stared at her notebook in silence.

Kiba didn't know how long time passed and he wondered if she was ever going to blink. He thought to himself if he was talking to a statue, but when he saw her shift a bit, he figured otherwise.

Using a great ounce of her strength, she pushed her feet towards the ground, pushing her chair and herself together backwards. She did this a couple more times, distancing herself away from her tutee. Mentally breathing a sigh of relief that she had a comfortable distance away from him, she finally stared at him real hard simultaneously challenging him in her mind. _I dare you to say that again._

He looked at her like she had gone crazy. "I―"

"If you dare to ask me that again, I'm going to kill you." Sakura glared at him, her eyes piercing daggers to his very being.

Kiba shuddered nervously, not expecting that to be her reply.

"If that was meant to be a joke, I will cheerfully kill you."

Kiba sweatdropped. She didn't look too cheerful at the moment. He wasn't all that intimidated as he continued to push Sakura's buttons. "Does that mean I had no chance against Sasuke at all?" He casually added.

Sakura was about to glare at him once more, but his statement wiped the anger out of her mind. _Am I that obvious?_

"I couldn't care less about Sasuke at this point," Kiba said, dismissing the topic he opened and went towards his main objective now that Sakura was attentive and lucid once more. "What happened between you and Hinata?" He saw Sakura cheerless expression, but went on anyway, "You two didn't talk for the whole day and it seems like Hinata's trying to avoid you."

Slowly, Sakura nodded, "That's right. I… hurt her. I unintentionally hurt her."

Kiba looked away and asked after a moment of pause, "What are you going to do?"

He didn't ask her about it or what she did. Somehow, she felt grateful that he wasn't going into specifics. "If only I knew," she grumbled with a sigh.

Kiba thought about her reply for a moment. "There was a time when the person I was in love with needed my help the most. I was a fool and did nothing about it, so I lost her to someone else. I wouldn't have lost her to _him_."

"Hinata…" Sakura unconsciously whispered, but gasped in realizing that she insinuated without proper facts.

Kiba didn't deny it though, "Yeah, that's right. If I helped her then… I wonder what would've become us now." Turning towards his tutor, Kiba gave her a piece of advice. "When you find out what you need to do, don't wait for the right moment and just do something about it before it's too late."

* * *

The next day was similar to the last one, but the bullying increased. Sakura didn't care about it though. Her conversation with Kiba was still fresh on her mind. She decided that her conflict with Hinata was her priority at this point, and she didn't consider a threat. Her friendship with Hinata was the most important thing right now. She didn't care about Ami or what she would do. That girl was just a thorn on her side.

Because she was contemplating about what she should do about her current situation with her best friend, she didn't realize or expect another stage of bullying had commenced. With her guard down, she wasn't able to avoid the liquid that splashed in front of her face until she could feel the sticky goo enveloping her body and making her clothes stick to her skin.

Great.

Now out in the real world, Sakura inspected herself and tried to identify what she had been sprayed with. The liquid was transparent, yet in was sticky as glue. Glue? Ah, so that's what it was. She dashed her with a bucket of it, did they?

_I have a feeling the next round is about to come soon._ If there was glue, they also had something else to stick to her body with. But what could it be?

Thankfully, the glue was mixed with water and wasn't all that sticky. The liquid was almost as clear as water but she could still fell the sticky residue on her skin. Her glasses weren't completely covered and she could still see with them on. At least she wasn't totally _that_ unlucky. She looked around, trying to see if anyone around her carried any conspicuous object that they wanted to throw at her, but it was hard to focus with all the laughing going on around her.

Well, she did look ridiculous at the moment, which she knew was the whole intention.

Ignoring the laughter and chuckles were hard and it only prevented her from concentrating on her task. If only these people would shut up.

She turned around cautiously just in case someone was trying to sneak up behind her and her emerald orbs widened when she saw a sack of feathers thrown at her direction. She crossed her arms in front of her, knowing that it was her only defense in reducing the damage since she had no time to avoid it. She closed her eyes and braced herself upon impact, but slowly opened them once more when the laughter died down.

_What happened? _She wondered.

When she saw an upper classmen standing in front of her, she gasped. She noticed the feathers scattered around the floor with a huge bundle in front of her savior. Lee-san… saved her?

"Sakura-san despite how you are treated, my feelings will always be the same. I like you." Thrusting his hand upwards at his side, he closed his hand into a fist and formed a thumbs up and proclaimed, "I'll always protect you no matter what."

Sakura had always thought he was odd when he first confessed his feelings for her, knowing that she looked like a geek. She thought him stupid and annoying. She avoided him like a plague since he disgusted her back then.

Moved by the sincerity of his confession, she smiled at his gullibility but thought that he wasn't such a bad person after all, "Thank you, Lee-san."

He was a nice guy.

* * *

Washing glue out of her hair proved to be a tough task. She had to skip first period just to get the sticky residue off of her. She took a shower in the girl's locker room and changed her clothing into her gym clothes: a sweater and some jogging pants. It was more comfortable but her hair needed more work. She had to wash it once more in the restroom by the faucet just to be sure that her hair wouldn't be glued in a clump of dreadlocks.

"You look good in this angle."

Oh, so she had finally come, had she? Running her hands through her entangled locks as the water continued to rinse any sticky remains, she asked, "Shouldn't you be in class, Ami?"

Ami ignored the sardonic remark. "We're not even at the main event and it looks like you're on the verge of breaking down."

Sakura wasn't even a tad bit intimidated by the arrogant remark and shot one of her own, "And miss the grand finale? Hardly."

Annoyed that she wasn't getting the response she wanted, Ami glared at Sakura's crouched back and gave an icy threat, "That was only the beginning. I will embarrass you to the point that no one will ever approach you again."

Sakura's smile curved into a smirk. She flipped her hair, whisking water everywhere and some even rained down on Ami's face making her screech. She turned around with her hair fanned around of her face and dripping on her sweater, making it damp. Ami barely saw the determined glint in her eyes because of the hair obscuring her view and only saw her mouth moving as she said, "Bring it on. I'm not the same girl who used to follow you around. Your threats mean nothing to me now. Throw whatever you want at me―I'll take it head on!

"This time, I'll be the victor."

* * *

Maybe that was too much. She did succeed in riling up her nemesis, and now here she was in the middle of the cafeteria with her tray sprayed chaotically on the floor with her food dirty and drink spilled. Ami just slammed her tray to the ground and stepped on her food as if she was squashing a bug.

Ah, so she would squash her resolve here in front of the sophomores around the cafeteria. Kiba suggested that she should try and show herself in the cafeteria during lunch to show how unaffected she was by anyone's opinion and this was when Ami decided to strike.

Oh, that was the last advice she was taking from that guy.

Everyone's attention was focused on them. The sophomores' had the cafeteria at this time and the rest of the student body was in their own respectable classes. Each year had a designated time for lunch, spreading the lunch times into four sections. Seniors got their lunch's first following with the juniors, sophomores and lastly the freshmen.

Since the entire sophomore year was present in the cafeteria at this time, it was the perfect opportunity for Ami to strike. After all, if she couldn't be friends with any of her classmates then she wouldn't have any support for the rest of her school years. Her siblings wouldn't be able to protect her forever and would have to graduate eventually, leaving her all alone at school.

"Trash like you doesn't deserve to eat in _our _cafeteria."

Trash? Who was she kidding? Sakura sighed uncaringly, "You really know how to waste food, don't you Ami?"

"Get out of here! A liar and a manipulator like you doesn't deserve to eat here," Ami waved her had as if shooing a mosquito away.

Sakura didn't move, but replied stubbornly, "No. I refuse to comply with that unreasonable and selfish request."

"Selfish?" Ami giggled haughtily. "You're the one that's been selfish in lying to everyone about your social status―"

Sakura's eyebrow rose questioningly. "Is that a crime?" she asked nonchalantly.

"―And that you have been engaged to Sasuke-kun since the beginning of the school year!"

So that's it. "I see now," Sakura chuckled knowingly, "I understand it now. It isn't because I lied. You couldn't care less what happened to me after I disappeared in middle school. This is all about Sasuke, isn't it?" Sakura gave a mild glance to see how Ami would react and seeing her nemesis' eyes narrow threateningly, made her smile triumphantly. "You just can't accept that he was engaged to me," she chuckled at the irony. She didn't need to say the rest.

Ami glared at her menacingly. This bitch was taunting her! How dare her!

"Does the fact that he belonged to someone else, let alone someone like me, piss you off?" Sakura gazed at her with a mocking glint in her eyes.

Without any ounce of hesitation, Ami slapped Sakura's face, causing Sakura's glasses to fly off her face. Despite the stinging pain on her cheek, Sakura slowly opened her eyes and turned towards Ami's direction once more. However, all she could see was a blur due to the absence of her glasses, making her squint to try and focus her vision. Before she could think of anything else, she heard a cracking sound. Oh, damn. Ami just broke her glasses.

"These glasses are just a fake so let's dispose of them and talk like old times," Ami squished the spectacles, further cracking the lenses.

She was using her glasses to hide? Maybe. She never did use to wear glasses until her accident.

_Sakura's eyes widened in awe and continued to stare admirably. "Hey, you look good without glasses! You're very pretty―"_

Sakura winced, remembering bits and pieces of her lost memory. She saw a girl… with glasses? She was friends with that person.

"Are you trying to be a good girl now to try and run away from your past?" Ami asked sardonically, enjoying the tables turning in her favor.

"_How could you?" Tsubasa cried, glaring at her as fiercely as she could, "I trusted you! How could you do this to me!"_

What? What did she do?

"_I can't forgive this__―I can't forgive myself! I've been such a stupid person to trust someone like you." Hinata turned away, trying to fight the tears by burying the painful feeling away._

She did something―many things before.

"_I don't like her. She's too close to him, don't you think Sakura?" Ami asked, glancing at the girl beside her._

"_Yeah," Sakura nodded._

_Ami smirked secretively, "Then we should do something about it."_

If only she could remember what she did…

Taking one step closer towards Sakura, Ami bent towards Sakura's ear and whispered, "You're the same as me, and you always will be."

Sakura bit her lip and closed her eyes, trying to block everything out. She was the same as Ami? Recalling bits and pieces of her lost memories was making her confused. She didn't know what to do. What had she been doing all this time? Was she seeking redemption? What? She didn't know what to think anymore.

The unexpected hand gripping her arm made her gasp in shock, bringing her out of her reverie. Before she could mount a protest, the hand forcefully dragged her out of the cafeteria and away from every piercing eye of the sophomores.

All that was left then was a long period of silence with the entire crowd staring in shock at the door where the two people left from. They weren't astounded because of the intervention, but because who caused it.

Well, how about that.

* * *

Sakura didn't know where to begin. The stranger who pulled her out and saved her from further embarrassment ― who was dragging her and making her run behind with such speed that she could barely keep up ― was a mystery. He didn't even utter a word. She wanted to say something: a word of thanks or maybe ask who this person was, but blood was rushing to her head too quickly, making her unable to form the words.

She didn't know where this person was taking her and she was too stunned to ask. Somehow, this seemed so familiar. It was like…

"_Can't you stay up for at least a minute?" Sasuke mocked with a sigh._

_Sakura just gave him a warm smile and took his extended hand to help her back up on her feet. She stayed in his arms and didn't pull away from him when she was finally standing upright. She lowered her head towards his chest and murmured, "Thank you."_

"_No," Sasuke hugged her and whispered in her ear huskily, "Thank you."_

Sasuke-kun. The hand she was holding was warm just like his. He may have a cold exterior, but his hand had always been warm. How nostalgic.

Unconsciously, she tightened her grasp towards the hand clutching her own. Thinking about how their relationship went up until now, she thought if things could've been different between them. If she hadn't lied to him, what could've become of them now? How different would things have been?

She was certain about one thing though. If she could've done one thing different, she wouldn't have let go of his hand again. She would've held onto it no matter what… if only she was braver.

It was similar. Just like when she felt someone grab her hand unknowingly, she now felt emptiness as the hand grasping hers suddenly vanished without her knowledge. She didn't even notice. Despite the condition of her blurry eyesight, she looked around her surroundings, trying to find a colorful blur that didn't blend with the walls, lockers and floors of the school. There was no one around her.

The hall was empty. The stranger was gone, and she didn't even get to thank him.

"What are you doing out here in the halls? You're supposed to be in class by now."

She barely even heard the sliding door open and the teacher reprimanding her.

Her attention was focused on the foreign object she had on her hand. It was on the hand that the stranger had been holding. Did that person give something to her? Touching the object gently while raising her hand, she tried to figure out what she was holding on her hand.

It felt like… a necklace.

* * *

Gaara became hesitant about his plan on beating the Uchiha up because of the event that just occurred. He thought that the guy was a complete ass and needed a beating that would open his eyes, but now, Gaara didn't think it was necessary.

The Uchiha didn't even give him a chance to protect his own sister, knowing that Gaara was present and was waiting for the moment to intervene ever since Ami had knocked Sakura's tray to the ground.

Still, Gaara was suspicious.

Why did the Uchiha help his sister?

Kiba grinned enthusiastically. Who would've thought it would turn out like this? Sasuke actually pushed Ami away from Sakura, making the girl stumble to the ground in shock. Without even so much as a pause, he grabbed his ex-fiancée and dragged her out of the cafeteria.

What a guy! His actions made it completely obvious that he still felt something for the girl. He was just too stubborn to admit it.

Somehow, seeing Sasuke do something completely unlike himself made him look like a lovesick puppy, and it was only making Kiba amused even more.

* * *

Leaning on the wall on a secluded corner, he tried to maintain his composure. Sasuke sighed and ran his hand through his hair.

He did it again.

* * *

Hinata wondered about the shocking events during their lunch time as she walked towards the café where she was supposed to meet Ino. Sasuke-san protected Sakura? Did Sasuke-san have feelings for Sakura then?

Hinata thought about the possibilities until she finally arrived at her destination. Catching a glimpse of Ino already seated, Hinata approached the girl casually and sat down in front of her.

"So you came," Ino smiled, sitting back on her chair.

Hinata nodded, "I wanted to ask you something, that's why."

Ino cocked her head to the side and regarded Hinata with a speculative look. This girl looked familiar somehow. Where had she seen her before? "You were the karate contender here in Tokyo weren't you? But I think you were disqualified that time."

Hinata couldn't believe that Ino would remember something so embarrassing, but she didn't lie nonetheless. Nodding sadly, she added, "Yes… Sakura… chan was the cause of it." Despite her efforts to remove the familiarity with Sakura's name, she wasn't able to. It didn't sound right somehow.

Ino was taken aback by the information. Sakura was the cause of it? She never knew about that. "Why do you say that?"

Hinata didn't know if it was a wise decision to tell Ino the details, but she wanted to know. "When I went to your school for the karate competition, I saw Sakura… chan put something in my locker. Next thing I knew, I got disqualified from the competition, which made me a disgrace to my family since then." She wanted to be certain that Sakura was really the one to blame for her disqualification.

Ino was silent for a while, digesting Hinata's story. Ino knew why Hinata was telling her this. The girl wanted to know if Sakura did commit the deed. Not really knowing much about the particular event because of her absence, Ino asked, "If you're asking if Sakura did it or not, I don't know the answer to that."

Hinata averted her gaze towards the table dejectedly.

Despite vowing to be on her friend's side, Ino admitted the worst possible outcome, "But I am sorry to say that it's a great possibility that she did do it." Even if she had been Sakura's friend at the time, vouching for her wasn't her call since she knew nothing about the incident. With Ami present by Sakura's side, she didn't know what to expect. Hinata looked back at her in dismay, but Ino continued anyway. "Sakura did many… awful things in middle school but that's because she was a naïve fool. But if you want to find someone to get mad at, don't get mad at Sakura."

Hinata watched her questioningly. "Why?"

"I'm also partly the one to blame" ―Hinata blinked in confusion― "I introduced Sakura to Ami thinking that it would be great for her and it proved to be a great mistake."

"I don't understand," Hinata shook her head. "Why are you still protecting Sakura-chan? You don't seem to be friends anymore." To protect someone to that extent even if they weren't close anymore didn't make sense to her.

"I blame myself for what happened," Ino gazed at her coffee distantly. "I was jealous of Sakura, so I asked the agency for work overseas and I left her alone." She still felt responsible for what happened. If only she hadn't been so stupid! "When I came back, Sakura was gone. Now, I find her here in Konoha High changed into a completely different person. In a way, I blame myself for what happened to her."

Whatever it was that happened to Sakura.

* * *

"I don't get you at all," Naruto spoke as he slammed the door closed. Leaning on the hood of the car, he frowned at his best friend suspiciously. "Why did you do that?"

Sasuke sighed, knowing that his best friend was going to mention the cafeteria incident sooner or later. His best friend's timing couldn't be any better. They were at his property where he didn't want to discuss the matter. "None of your business," he slammed the door shut and walked towards his house. He wanted to drop this conversation―the sooner the better.

Naruto didn't take the hint. "I thought you said―"

"I know what I said," Sasuke cut Naruto off. He didn't want Naruto to talk about _that_ where his parent or worse, his brother, would hear of it. Turning around, he gave Naruto a firm glare, "I don't expect you to understand, but I do things my way. Mind you own business." He didn't bother to wait for Naruto's comeback and walked into his house and slammed the door closed.

Naruto huffed in annoyance. "He still hasn't changed." He pushed himself away from the car and decided that he should head home. He stopped, chuckling when an idea occurred to him.

He needed to teach that guy a lesson not to brush him off like that. That bastard―he'll never know what hit him.

* * *

She came home only subconsciously aware of her surroundings. Her mind was fully occupied with thoughts about Sakura and Ami's confrontation at the cafeteria ever since Ino mentioned about Ami's influence with Sakura in the past. She knew that Sakura, Ami and Ino were mentioned a lot at the campus when she _tried_ to compete in their school. Those three's relationship now, however, was a wreck. Something happened between them and the only one who knew the answer was Sakura.

"Hinata," the voice called out with a touch of irritation in its depths.

Hinata looked up and saw her cousin standing in front of her. "Neji-niisan, what are you doing here?" They were only a block away from the manor. Was he going somewhere? "Where are you going?"

"Idiot," Neji stated offhandedly. "You weren't home yet and your father has been nagging, asking where you were. I wanted to get out of the house to finally get some peace and quiet."

Hinata smiled, touched by her cousin's hidden concern. He came all this way to look for her. "How long have you been standing there?"

"A while," was his quick response. "You stopped all of a sudden so I thought you saw me, but you were making these weird expressions."

Hinata laughed lightly, embarrassed that she was caught in such a weird state.

"Are you alright?" Neji asked suddenly, changing the light atmosphere. He knew all about Hinata and her disqualification at the middle school and Sakura's part in it. He always watched out for that girl just in case she caused any more harm towards his cousin. Ever since he realized who Sakura was when they met her in public months ago, he had always been cautious towards her. "You should've let me talk to her instead."

Hinata shook her head. She told her cousin when he suggested the day before when she decided to confront Sakura about her deceit. Hinata knew that it was her problem, and she didn't want Neji to become involved in it. Besides, it was her who had an issue with Sakura, so only she needed to do something about it.

When she finally confronted Sakura that day, she thought she was making the right decision, but her conversation with Ino made her think twice about what she had done.

Did she do the right thing?

Hinata gasped, realizing what she had done. She accused Sakura since she was the only one who she thought who could've done the deed, but she didn't think of Ami. All because Sakura was the only one she saw.

"Neji-niisan, I did something really cruel," Hinata cried as she lowered her head with her bangs covering her eyes. She was ashamed. She was completely unfair towards Sakura. That day when she confronted Sakura, she ranted about her own selfishness.

She didn't give Sakura a chance to deny any of it.

She walked away without any care about Sakura's feelings.

* * *

When Sakura received a message from Hinata to meet her at the school bridge later that day, she didn't listen to her logical side to think about the situation and ran out of the house. It wasn't until she was halfway through her destination did she slow down and think whether she deserved to talk to Hinata ever again. She had unknowingly hurt her best friend and betrayed her in the worst possible way.

Was that the reason why she was going there―to seek forgiveness? Forgiveness from committing something she didn't remember. She couldn't fathom why she didn't even dread about not remembering. All she cared about was being friends with Hinata again.

Could it still be possible?

The small lingering hope made her go all the way to her destination. She wouldn't throw away this chance of making up with Hinata. She would see through it to the end, even if it would only end in vain.

Sakura looked over towards the bridge with her mind in chaos. Despite the great urge that she shouldn't go, she came anyway. Their relationship was already in tatters after all. It couldn't get any worse. No matter what they were going to discuss here, it wouldn't change anything.

Watching Hinata leaning on the railing and looking at the water below the bridge with a peaceful expression was enough for Sakura to yearn for the times she had her as a friend. Could they still go back to the way things were before? Sakura felt a painful stab inside of her. She was nervous about this meeting.

"I've come to a realization," Hinata spoke suddenly, breaking Sakura's train of thought. "These past couple of days helped me think about things and it made me wonder if you even remember that the first time we met was during a karate competition in your school. You got me disqualified there." She sighed, inhaling a breath of fresh air to get the courage to continue.

Sakura only remained silent, knowing that she couldn't say anything. It was Hinata's turn to speak, and she had no right to interfere.

"I figured that if that didn't happen, I wouldn't be the person I am now," Hinata turned to her, smiling at Sakura genuinely.

The anxiousness melted away and Sakura could only feel regret.

"I actually don't stutter anymore, and I the best part is that I found someone I love because of you and I want to thank you for that." She turned towards the railing of the bridge once more and looked at the water where she could see fishes swimming randomly. She now waited for Sakura's turn to speak. Would she deny it?

Sakura looked away surreptitiously, thinking that she didn't deserve such praise. "I… don't remember anything about that incident. An accident in middle school made me forget about most of my memories at that time."

Hinata abruptly turned back to her with a concerned frown, but silently waited for her to continue.

Looking back with a meek smile, Sakura confessed, "Though, I still want you to believe that the day in the rooftop was not a lie. I approached you that day because I wanted _you_ to be my friend."

Hinata wanted to laugh at the irony. _I've always wanted _you_ to be my friend too._ She straightened into a standing posture. She had made her decision.

* * *

School was different and finally more pleasant to go to the next day. Finally reconciled with Hinata, Sakura was able to go to school with a smile on her face. Despite the threats she knew still existed, she came to school without trouble. Hinata greeted her at the front gate as she stood by waiting for her to come.

"Hinata," Sakura greeted, running towards her. When she was standing right in front of her friend, she said. "I know that this may seem late, but if you're still willing to listen," she turned away, nervous enough that she couldn't maintain the eye contact. "I want to tell you everything."

Hinata smiled as she remembered the same words Naruto said to her before.

_"She needs you right now―more than ever. I'm sure that after her problems are solved, you'll be the first one she'll confide in."_

How about that? _ Naruto-kun was right._ "I will," she nodded. She paused, remembering that there was someone else who deserved it more than her. "But I'll wait. You should tell the person who has been waiting for you for a long time first."

"Who?" Sakura asked, tilting her head to the side.

"I talked to Ino-san the other day, and she seems to be really concerned about you." Knowing it was best, Hinata suggested, "You should talk to her. I could tell that she misses Sakura-chan very much."

_Ino_, Sakura thought, gripping her back tightly because of the intense emotions she felt. Hinata was right. She needed to see Ino. She needed to reconcile with her. Most importantly, Sakura needed to apologize for being selfish and uncaringly crushing Ino's feelings repeatedly.

Firm with her decision, Sakura waved Hinata farewell. "I'll see you at class then." Sakura smiled when Hinata nodded and she immediately ran off inside the school.

She needed to find Ino.

* * *

Minutes after the first period had started; Ino's homeroom teacher told her that Ino wouldn't come to school until lunchtime. Sakura's shoulders slumped in disbelief. After mustering all that determination, she felt crushed in realizing that she had to wait until lunchtime before she could finally talk to Ino.

She walked back to her classroom dejectedly and being late was making her spirits even more sour. She was late for nothing. She arrived in front of the classroom and stared at the door, deciding whether to skip or not since going to class only to be reprimanded didn't sound so appealing at the moment. She shook her head, deciding not to skip despite the great urge that she should. Skipping would mean missing out on the lecture and catching up would be even worse.

She slid the door open, expecting all the attention to be focused on her, but was greeted by a silent classroom with all her classmate's attention directed towards a girl standing in front of the classroom. She blinked in confusion, not recognizing the girl. A new student perharps?

Hearing her come in because of the sound of the door opening, Kakashi turned towards her and gave her a casual glance, "Ah, you're late, Haruno."

Her sensei finally knowing her name was to be expected. After all, she had been the talk of the students for a week now. It would be impossible for everyone not to know her name at this point.

"This is Akashi Karin. She's transferred here from United States and she'll be with us from now on," Kakashi said, introducing the girl at the front of the classroom once more for Sakura's benefit.

Karin turned to her and abruptly started approaching her with a harsh and firm glare.

Sakura could only frown in confusion. She didn't understand what she did to this girl to be already on her hate list.

"How dare you make such a ridiculous announcement! Sasuke is _my_ fiancée!" Karin bluntly stated, earning gasps from Sakura's fellow classmates.

Sakura could only stare at her in shock. What did she say? Sakura couldn't believe what she was hearing. "What?"

"You heard me. Sasuke's not engaged to you―Sasuke's _my_ fiancée and always has been. Find yourself someone else to mess with."

**_TBC_**

**

* * *

A/N:** Another cliffhanger. Forgive me but I couldn't resist.

A reviewer mentioned before that it's the first time Karin's name wasn't in the antagonist. Now she finally comes out, but I can't say she's the antagonist. More like an anti-hero. It's Kishimoto's fault. I told myself that I would hate Karin forever more, but the recent chapters of Naruto showed me how she really is. She's not redeemed per se, but I just couldn't care less about her any longer. Besides, I already decided to put Karin into the fic right when she came out in the manga. I just took a while to get to this point.

Someone also mentioned that I should write more about Sasuke. Well, there is now a mystery towards the Uchiha family that Sasuke doesn't know about. Well, Itachi has always been a mystery. Since Karin is now here, I can talk about Sasuke's _past_ more now.

I sincerely hope that I would get more reviews this chapter. The reviews for each chapter are declining and it makes me think that I'm not entertaining you guys enough. I hope not.

**EDIT:** Added transitions in some parts to make the story more fluid. Hope that fixed the problem.

**B/N:** I would just like to go on record, and state that in my opinion, Uchiha Sasuke in this whole fic, is _so_ in character. To elaborate further why I believe it is so, let me just state that in the manga, Sasuke is basically a trying-hard-not-to-be-nice, very cool guy, who is currently acting like a total ass. In this fic, Sasuke is _also_ a trying-hard-not-to-be-nice, very cool guy, who is currently acting like a total ass (in Sakura's case), but unlike the manga, he has one redeeming feature: he's head over heels in love (?) with Sakura. *gasp* OMG! I do believe dear Sasuke would act exactly like he does in the fic in the manga, if he were in love… I wonder…

**

* * *

Chapter 23 ― Akashi Karin**

Sakura looked at Sai in bewilderment. "Why did you do that?"

"You still don't remember who I am?" Sai asked, his eyes glinting mysteriously.

Sakura shook her head in utter confusion, "I don't understand you. You were so cruel to me before. Why are you doing something like this now?"

"You want to know why?" Sai smirked, taking a step towards her. "I'll tell you why."

Sakura braced herself for anything he would do, but this was one thing she didn't expect. Forcefully gripping her necktie, he pulled her towards him and brought her face closer to his.

**

* * *

Updated:** April 30, 2010


	23. Akashi Karin

**Engagement On Hold**

**Summary:** (AU) Uchiha Sasuke is Konoha High's reigning prince. Haruno Sakura is…? Who is she again? What happens when the guy everybody knows finds himself engaged to the girl nobody knows?

**Genre:** Romance/Humor/Drama

**Pairings:** Sasuke/Sakura, Naruto/Hinata, Shikamaru/Temari

**Author:** pei-chan

**Disclaimer:** Wouldn't it be nice if Sasuke and Sakura were really engaged in the Naruto series? Then again, that would only occur in our dreams… ne?

**A/N:** First of all, I have seen lots of 'I hate Karin' fanclubs out there. I repeat that I _used_ to hate Karin with the bloody passion, but I couldn't care less about her anymore. Despite my lack of enthusiasm with Karin, she does play a big role in this story. You might not like how I wrote her here in this chapter, but I've read the manga over and over again when Team Hebi/Taka was formed and I believe that this is how she would act in a normal high school environment. I wanted to get this out earlier, but Karin prevented me from doing so. She was so difficult to write.

The last portion of the chapter is not edited since I finished this at four in the morning. I am going on a trip for the next three days and I wanted to finish this chapter before I go. I wasn't really satisfied with it, but I'll let you guys decide.

**Edited version!**

**

* * *

Chapter 23 ― Akashi Karin**

"_I promised to marry someone else."_

Akashi Karin had flowing crimson hair, asymmetrically cut with one side longer than the other. Her eyes held the same shade as her hair with egg shaped spectacles aligned neatly on her face. Her posture held confidence about her sexual appeal and she wore her uniform in a way that most girls in school would be envious off.

Sakura felt her insides constricting, like something was devouring her from the inside out. Was this girl the one? Was this person the one Sasuke wanted to marry? Was she the one that he…

"So…" Sakura spoke, her voice so soft; it was difficult to distinguish her feelings at the moment. "You're his fiancée…?"

Karin merely scoffed, "That's right." Seriously, couldn't this girl take a hint? "We've been engaged before high school even started."

Before high school? If that was the case… then… her recently broken engagement to him during that time caused him to be so against it because…

"_I won't break this engagement because you're going to do that for me."_

This girl was the reason behind Sasuke's disapproval towards their engagement. And here she thought it was because he didn't want to disappoint his father. That explained why he wanted her to break the engagement, but she never really had a clue why he wanted to break it off.

Until now.

This girl. Akashi Karin was the reason why he didn't want to marry her. So then? Why would he…? "You came all this way from the US just to tell me off. You really are something, aren't you?"

Karin's crimson orbs narrowed dangerously. "Just so we're clear, I'm telling you to back off," she paused, tilting her head slightly to stress her point, "nicely."

Sakura was about to tell her off by emphasizing that she was the one who broke off the engagement when a voice intervened.

"I know that engagements are a hot topic and all but class time is being disrupted. Since I'm still not used to the teaching methods in this school, I prefer to spend my time listening to lecture than listening to gossip," Sai interjected in a completely composed tone.

Kakashi gave a firm nod. He finally found a student with great priorities. He couldn't say the same for the two top students in the class: Uchiha and Haruno. Haruno had been a part of the disruption, while Uchiha remained silent despite being the topic of the argument between the two girls in front of the classroom. Kakashi eyed Sakura's stiff figure and said, "Haruno, take your seat," in which Sakura didn't argue with and went to her destination. Turning to the new student left standing in the front of the class, Kakashi gestured her to do the same. He pointed at empty seat in the third row, "Take a seat over there Akashi."

Karin was about to move towards the pointed area when her peripheral vision saw Sakura taking her seat right in front of her very own fiancée. Her eyes widened in alarm. Glaring at her rival, she pivoted to the left and went towards the side of the classroom and stopped when she was standing in front of Sakura's seat. She was definitely not going to let this stand! "I want this seat, sensei," she voiced out loud innocently, giving Sakura a confident smirk.

Sakura was aghast, knowing Karin's full intention. That smirk was an added bonus. This girl was _so_ certain that she was going to get what she wanted, and she definitely knew what stunt to pull off to get it.

Placing her palm flat on Sakura's desk, Karin leaned forward and said, "Sitting so close to Sasuke even after breaking your engagement with him must make you feel awkward towards him that you can't even focus on the lecture. You should sit somewhere else."

Few of the students close to them gasped in shock at hearing such blatant statement.

Sakura was frozen in her seat. She didn't know which person was worse: this girl or Ami. Despite Ami's cruelty, Sakura knew how to get around to it, but Karin was something else. This girl was quite unpredictable despite her arrogance and blunt conceitedness. Sakura didn't know how to get around her.

"Stop it Karin," a familiar voice said from behind Sakura.

Karin turned towards the person sitting behind Sakura with a frown.

Sakura could feel her chest thumping loudly that it made her ears ring. She refused to turn around. No. Even though she had so many questions she wanted to ask him, she refused to turn around. One question clearly dominated the others: what was he doing?

"Enough," Sasuke stated tersely. "Stop bothering other people and just sit where you were assigned to, Karin."

Karin flushed in embarrassment and turned away with a huff. She didn't respond and stomped to the empty seat without complaint.

Sakura was left to ponder about the shocking turn of events. What just happened?

* * *

Class ended without another delay. It had been a bit tense right until the middle of the lecture since the prior event at the beginning of class was still fresh in the students' minds. Most weren't able to focus at all and some where even caught texting in their phones―probably to share the news around the school. By the end of first period, it was surely plausible that most students now knew about the arrival of Uchiha Sasuke's 'official' fiancée.

Sakura released a heavy sigh and shoved her notebooks back in her bag. Momentarily, she forgot about the person who was sitting behind her that she immediately became tense when she saw Karin sauntering towards her _ex_-fiancée who just casually walked by her.

The weight that was dragging her up inside was lifted only when the two had left the room, with Karin clinging onto Sasuke's arm―which only added to the moroseness of her mood, making her more depressed than before.

So it was true.

Due to the complexity of her feelings, she didn't notice a couple of concerned glimpses her fellow classmates were giving her. It was only when a hand was slapped at her back that she finally whirled around, wearing a startled frown.

Kiba grinned, lifting up his hands in surrender. "My bad. You were too gloomy, so I thought I should come to cheer you up."

Sakura gave him a horrified stare. "By slapping my back hard enough to make me cough up blood?"

"Hey, hey, it wasn't that hard," Kiba countered. "You're exaggerating."

"Kiba-kun, you did slap her pretty hard," Hinata said softly, but she was still able to flawlessly include herself in the conversation.

Sakura slung her bag into place and glared at Kiba, crossing her arms impatiently. "Why are you here, Kiba?"

Kiba grinned, thinking about Sakura's confrontation with Ami and the new girl, Karin. "I don't know how you do it, but I got to say I'm impressed."

Sakura and Hinata gave him a confused frown. They didn't know what he was talking about.

Kiba didn't elaborate but changed the subject instead. "Should we go to the next class then?"

Sakura eyed him skeptically, "You have Philosophy next and it's at the east wing of the school."

"And?" Kiba didn't know what the problem was.

"We have Anatomy next," Hinata said.

"It's in the west wing," Sakura added. "Nice try, so what is this really about?"

Kiba shook his head vigorously, "Nothing. I just don't want to see you get bullied again, Sakura."

Sakura's doubts increased. There was no way that was true. He was lying through his teeth.

* * *

"Why are you here, Karin?" Sasuke asked after walking down the halls.

Karin ignored the evident displeasure his statement showed. "Why is it that I had to find out about your **sudden** engagement through the internet? I thought you told your father about us. Well, I guess that explains that."

Noticing the attention they were getting from the passers-by around them, Sasuke pulled Karin's arm and roughly dragged her to a secluded corridor. After being certain that they could have a private conversation, Sasuke repeated his question, literally ignoring Karin's rambling. "Why are **you** here, Karin?"

"I told you that I would come back, and you _promised_ me that we would get married by that time. All of a sudden I find out that you're engaged to someone who's like a carbon copy of me," Karin frowned, but really, she was just stressing the fact that Haruno Sakura possessed glasses like her. It was the easiest factor she could compare with… the others… not so much. They wouldn't compare to her anyway.

"You enrolled in my school just for this," Sasuke hissed. "You're acting very immature Karin."

"Well, you promised to tell your family about us! Why didn't you?" Karin pouted, adding, "How could you get engaged to someone else! I thought you―"

"Enough," Sasuke cut her off with a sharp reprimand. "We'll talk about this later. Let's go to your classroom before you're late." The argument ended just like that and the two of them left with Karin scowling as she walked behind Sasuke.

He was evading her.

* * *

"Sakura-chan."

The two of them were walking towards class with Kiba finally giving up pestering them after realizing that he would only be late if he did walk them to class. Sakura didn't know what he was scheming but she had a distant feeling that it wouldn't be the end of it.

Turning towards her friend as they quietly walked by the hall, Sakura focused her attention on Hinata's abruptly asked question, "Were you bullied this morning?"

Sakura took a moment to figure out her answer to the question. Now that she thought about it… everything was normal. No one harassed her things or tried to argue with her. In fact… "Now that I think about it… no one."

Hinata nodded solemnly, "I see."

… everyone tried to avoid her as much as possible.

Sakura frowned, suspecting that Hinata knew something about the issue. "Do you know something about that?"

Hinata's grip on the books she was clutching tightened unconsciously, hesitant to disclose the information. _ It really happened, huh? _"Well… I don't know if it's my place to say, but I want you to know. Ever since yesterday, Sasuke-san arranged everything just so no one would harass you anymore."

Sakura was perplexed. Sasuke did what?

* * *

She was thankful that Sasuke wasn't in her class in second period. After finding out her ex-fiancée's mysterious act of heroism, Sakura became silent.

Hinata cast occasional worried glances towards Sakura even during class, but chose not to say anything. Now, she felt guilty for telling Sakura about it. Maybe she shouldn't have said anything. She groaned in distress. _If only Ino-san were here…_

"Hyuuga Hinata, could you answer the fifth question?"

Hinata flinched and gasped, realizing she was drifting off in her own world. Shizune-sensei even noticed! Oh, not again. She really needed to start paying attention to the lectures.

* * *

Hinata sighed in relief when the bell finally rung. Second period was over. She couldn't stand to stay in this class any longer. Ever since Shizune-sensei found her zoning out, Hinata had always been called as a warning for her not to do it again. She quickly gathered her things and walked out of the door as quickly as possible.

Sakura came out minutes later and both went towards the direction of their third period class. Yes, they had the same classes throughout the day―with the exception of their fifth class.

As they strolled towards their next class, Hinata fidgeted awkwardly. Maybe she really shouldn't have told her about it. The appearance of Sasuke-san's _other _fiancée only made things more confusing. Sasuke-san's odd treatment towards Sakura-chan was already mysterious. Akashi Karin's arrival and claim of being Sasuke-san's **official** fiancée must've dealt a great blow towards Sakura-chan. On top of it all, Sasuke-san didn't deny her claim.

Sakura's abrupt stop caught Hinata off guard that she stumbled in her footing; however, being in the karate club has it perks in that she was able to effortlessly regain her balance and stand next to Sakura. Turning towards her friend, Hinata noticed Sakura's fixed gaze directed towards somewhere in front of them. Hinata averted her gaze towards the front and stifled a gasp when she saw Akashi Karin and Uchiha Sasuke walking inside their third period classroom together.

Before Hinata could think of a way to console the girl beside her, Sakura excused herself.

"Sorry, I'm not feeling well. I'll rest for a bit in the infirmary and I'll just see you at fourth period, Hinata." Sakura didn't even bother to make sure that her friend coherently heard her statement and quickly whirled around to make her escape.

"Sakura-chan…" Hinata called, but it only seemed to be in vain and all she could do was watch Sakura slowly disappear from her line of vision.

Yup, it was official. She made another careless mistake. She shouldn't have told Sakura that. It only made everything more complicated.

"Where's Sakura going?" Kiba asked from behind her.

"Infirmary," Hinata replied, her voice tinged of concern. "She said she wasn't feeling well."

The two walked inside the classroom and went towards their seats. Hinata paused in front of the classroom when she felt her phone vibrate inside her pocket. She took out her phone and looked up the text message she received. It was from Ino. She read the content of the message and smiled. It said: _- I'll be there by lunchtime -_

Maybe a conversation with Ino would help relieve some of Sakura's concerns.

* * *

Sakura opened the door to the infirmary, expecting the familiar Shizune-sensei to greet her inside. Sakura had always been impressed by Shizune-sensei's talents. Not only was she their anatomy teacher but she was also the nurse for the infirmary. The infirmary should've always had a nurse inside for any emergencies, but because the school was in need of a brilliant and talented person like Shizune-sensei, the principal, Tsunade-sama personally gave the job to Shizune-sensei. The second period slot was perfect since there were no physical education studies happening in that period. There would be less or close to no injured students that would need medical attention.

Just in case, there was always a stand-in nurse that would only come for this period. Lucky for Sakura, second period just ended and the stand-in nurse had already left for the day. Shizune-sensei should be making her way to the infirmary soon, or perhaps she was already there.

When she saw the room completely empty, she sighed. Somehow, it felt better that no one was here. She didn't want to deal with anyone at the moment. She wanted to be alone.

She approached a bed at the far end of the room slowly, and plopped down on to it with her back resting comfortably on the cushion of the bed.

She was so confused. What was Sasuke's relationship with Akashi Karin? Were they really engaged as Karin said? Sasuke's silence towards the issue meant what exactly? She didn't know whether that meant Karin was telling the truth, or Sasuke merely choosing not to say anything. What was it? That was only part of it.

Next was Sasuke's odd behavior towards her. Every time they were together, he was always rude and mean towards her, but despite that…

"_Sasuke-san arranged everything just so no one would harass you anymore."_

He would… protect her when she least expected it. Wait. Protect her? Was that **even** his intention? What was she suppose to believe?

Slipping her hand inside her left pocket, she pulled out a silver chain and lifted the object up above her face. This necklace had been the dead giveaway that uncovered her savior's identity.

It was a simple silver chain with the Uchiha fan hanging loosely at the bottom. The small shape of the symbol of the Uchiha clan only made the tiny garnets and diamonds that formed the necklace more beautiful to look at. This thing was definitely expensive.

Why did he give this to her?

Most importantly…

Why did he save her?

She was full of questions with no one there to relieve her mind with any of the answers she was seeking.

_I don't understand him._

Frustration and confusion only fueled her anger even further. With an aggravated growl, she sat up off the bed and threw the necklace out of the window, not even realizing what she was doing.

She thought that she had enough. She was through trying to figure him out. The hell with him!

She turned around and decided to leave. Before she could make any other movements, she felt a small object hitting her at the back of her head. Averting her gaze towards the ground behind her, she blinked in utter confusion in seeing the necklace once more. She just threw that thing away! Why was it back again?

Even the stupid necklace won't leave her alone!

* * *

Hinata could only stare at the sight of seeing Naruto and Shikamaru walking inside the classroom together arguing. She hadn't seen him since first period. She wasn't able to talk to him at all since he appeared to be busy with… something. Exactly what that "something" was―Hinata didn't know. What was he up to?

"No," Shikamaru repeated with a sigh. When was Naruto going to get it?

"I'm not asking **you** to do it. I'm asking you to ask that girl to do it."

"No," was still Shikamaru's answer. "I'm not asking Shiho to do that. It's only going to make things complicated."

"Complicated how?" Naruto frowned, his face scrunching sourly.

Shikamaru sighed once more. Did he really have to explain it? "I don't like taking advantage of people."

"You're not taking advantage of anyone," Naruto disagreed. "You're doing a good deed here."

Before Shikamaru could come up with a decent reply, a loud bang was heard throughout the classroom, earning the attention of the entire class. Every head turned towards the direction of the noise.

Hinata stood up from her seat to see what was happening. Akashi Karin was on the floor with a chair and a table tumbled down around her. What happened? Did she fall down?

* * *

"It seems that I won't get some peace and quiet, after all."

That was Sai's voice. She looked around for any sign of him. Where was he? "Sai?"

"You ruined my concentration," came a gruff response. "If you wanted to throw something, aim for the garbage bin. You won't know who you might hit with that ridiculous aim of yours."

Hearing his voice again was enough of a clue for her to find out where he was. Walking over towards the bed by the window, she kneeled onto the mattress and looked out of the window. Nothing.

"You're blocking my view," he spoke once more, earning a gasp from Sakura as she abruptly averted her gaze downward.

Sai was sitting on the ground, leaning on a building with a sketchpad balanced neatly on his knees.

He was drawing. "What are you doing here?"

"I've been here even before you came by that door," Sai replied nonchalantly, sketching something on his pad.

Leaning on the windowsill, Sakura took a peek of Sai's work. It was full of curves and lines that she couldn't tell what he was making. It was… different, but it made no sense to her. "What is that supposed to be?"

"It's abstract."

Sakura tilted her head to the side, trying to figure out the meaning behind the drawing. "I don't get it."

"That's because you have no artistic bone whatsoever in your entire body," Sai stated sardonically.

Sakura's temple twitched in annoyance. This guy… really hates her, doesn't he? "I'm trying to start a conversation here."

"And I'm ending it," was Sai's immediate reply. "If you're not sick, go back to class. Stop wasting time trying to figure out my drawing. You won't get it."

Sakura gaped in shock. He really knew the right things to say that would piss her off. Really, why did she even try to make peace with this guy again? Why was she even trying? Making peace with this guy was out of the question, but leaving was definitely something she wasn't doing!

Without so much as a warning, she jumped out of the window and took the spot beside him. She sat down and leaned on the building beside him. She wasn't going anywhere.

Sai stopped sketching, realizing Sakura's intention. He dropped his pencil on the pad and stated disapprovingly, "I didn't say join me."

"Well I want to," Sakura replied stubbornly.

Figuring that it was impossible to drive her away at this point, Sai decided to tolerate it. "Suit yourself." There was no other place that would give him peace and quiet anyway. This was the best place for him to have solitude. Maybe if he let her stay, she wouldn't make as much noise as before.

_**Flashback**_

He didn't understand why these people were making such a big deal. Asking or rather manipulating another classmate to do the work for them was something Sai looked down upon―especially if it came to art. He was new to the school so no one knew about his particular talent, and he would prefer to keep it that way. The sight of many students crowding towards one particular student to take turns in having their art assignment _made_ for them was something he detested.

He thought the student was a complete idiot. Oh, don't get him wrong, he disliked those other kids asking him to draw something for them too, but he hated the fact that the student was taking their compliments hook, line and sinker. That guy was definitely an outcast, or he wouldn't be such a stupid fool.

He was so caught up in downgrading his fellow classmates that he wasn't able to hide his unfinished sketch quick enough before the girl beside him saw.

The girl gasped in amazement, "Wow, what a cool drawing!" Smiling at him even when he didn't respond, she introduced herself, "My name's Haruno Sakura. You're the new student, right?"

Sai nodded mutely. "I don't suppose you want a drawing like them too," he pointed out, gesturing towards the crowded area in front of them.

Sakura giggled, "No. I can do my assignment in five minutes!"

Five minutes? Was she that good? "Really?" Somehow, he refused to believe it. If she was **that** good, then those students would be crowding around _her_ instead.

"Yup," she replied, pulling a seat towards his desk and sitting beside him. Placing a blank piece of paper on the desk, she sketched something for five minutes.

Sai watched her focusing on her task, intrigued at how her face phased from one expression to another. She looked up and held up her paper with a smile, confidently showing him her work. Sai could only stare at the paper in silence. Was that supposed to be… a drawing? "Those are squiggles," he pointed out nonchalantly.

"Well that's pretty much what I can do to the best of my ability, you know," she protested with a pout.

Sai chuckled, "You don't need to have talent to draw something like that." He was starting to find this conversation a bit humorous.

Sakura crossed her arms and turned away with an inelegant snort, "Well excuse me for having no talent."

"You could always ask someone else to draw something for the assignment like those people."

"Are you volunteering to help me out?"

"No," was Sai quick reply. "Go in line with those idiots if you want someone to do your assignment."

"That's silly," Sakura laughed lightly, undaunted. "I don't need an A for this class. I'm pretty confident about the rest of my marks anyway. Instead, draw me a slug―a cute one as a present!"

He merely smiled amused. This girl was intriguing.

* * *

He was by himself sitting on the bench peacefully as he waited for Tsubasa when Sakura came to sit next to him at a measurable distance. He knew she was here for something, but he chose to ignore her presence anyway. If she had something to say, she would say it sooner or later.

"Ne, what's your relationship with Tsubasa?"

Sai cast an offhanded glance in her direction because of the abrupt question. He chose his words carefully. He decided to make it simple and straight to the point. "She's someone… important to me."

Sakura looked at him thoughtfully, but said nothing else about the matter.

* * *

"You're a bastard!"

He only gave her a nonchalant stare as she continued to cuss him.

"You are such an asshole," she sneered with a scoff, "How could you do that to her―to Tsubasa!"

"You're one to talk when you do the same thing by ignoring her just because you're popular," Sai countered flatly.

Sakura let out an exasperated sigh, "I might be bad but you're the worst since you're her childhood friend. You supposed to be the one who'll be there to protect her."

Sai chuckled. "That's exactly where you're wrong. You say you like me but that's impossible since you know nothing about me."

Sakura mildly shook her head and smiled bitterly. "That's where **you're** wrong. It's not only me but other people too. It's because I like you that I want to get to know you, you fool."

_**End of Flashback**_

Great. He just **had** to remember that now. There was no use for such memories. Those days were over. He already tried to give her a chance before. There was no point in liking her again. Like? Were those feelings even real? How did it even feel to like… or love someone?

"Hey Sai, can I tell you something?"

He sighed. The peace and quiet wasn't infinite after all. "You do know that we're not friends. I'm not someone who you can trust so easily."

"It's not about trust," Sakura stated. "Besides, how much worse can you damage my reputation? I'm literally being fed to the sharks everyday as we speak. You're hardly a problem."

Was he supposed to take that as an insult or a compliment?

"The bullying is not the issue. I couldn't care less what they do to me."

"Ah, so Sasuke's other _fiancée_ bothers you," Sai pointed out.

Sakura didn't nod to confirm Sai's thoughts. Instead, she buried on her knees in a daze. "I don't understand him."

"That's funny," Sai chuckled amused at what he realized. "You're the one who broke your engagement to him. It makes no sense that you're rehashing this now."

Sakura gave a pained smile. "Is that right?"

"You really don't make sense. Do you even love him?"

"Yeah." There was no hesitation when she said it. "That's why it hurts."

It was like before when she told him she liked him. Just like now, she told **him** that she liked him. If only she would tell **him** about her feelings once more… he… wanted to hear it again. He wanted to hear her say those words to him once more.

Love huh?

The muffled voices and the sound of the infirmary door opening rendered the two of them silent. When they heard and recognized the voices that came in the infirmary, Sai noticed Sakura flinch and freeze. The two sat silently under the window as they eavesdropped on the conversation inside the building.

"You were being careless," Sasuke reprimanded.

"It's just a scratch," Karin muttered, lifting her arm to inspect the damage. There was a cut on her forearm that was starting to sting. It wasn't a huge cut, but it was deep enough to have blood oozing out, creating a stain on her skin. Taking a seat at the closest chair, she watched as Sasuke went towards the cupboards and rummaged through its contents to find materials to treat her wound.

When he went back to her with a wet hand towel and some bandages, she spoke, "It's just like before. I got bullied but you're still there to protect me." She hissed when the cold towel touched her sensitive wound. "Before it was because I wasn't cool enough, but now, it's because I'm close to you. Even so, you save me when I'm in trouble. I'm glad that hasn't changed."

After wiping the wound clean, he put the cloth down the ground. Taking damp cotton full of alcohol, he dabbed it on her wound, in which Karin grimaced in pain. "Karin," Sasuke uttered carefully. "That's why I told you to go back. You shouldn't be here."

"I'm not going back." Karin shook her head. "I want to be with you. You won't turn me away―will you―when all I want is to be by your side."

Placing a band aid over the wound, Sasuke said, "It's better for you to go back. You made a mess here, and you're only going to make it harder on yourself."

Karin knew he meant that he wasn't going to be there to save her every time, but she didn't care. She shook her head stubbornly.

"Did you run away from home?"

"No, they actually let me go. I _am_ engaged to you after all. They said I could stay at your place."

Sasuke's eyes narrowed, "Karin. You're not going to be living in my house."

"Why not?" she protested.

Sasuke didn't answer her question but merely stated, "I'm going to rent a hotel for you for the rest of your stay here in Japan."

Rejected, Karin scowled, "But I came all this way for you. Stop turning me away!"

Sighing Sasuke stood up and brought the towel to the sink. "I'll talk to them, so stop sulking."

With a delighted smile, she jumped up from her seat in glee. Knowing that he wouldn't initiate it, she walked up to him and kissed him when he turned towards her, catching him off guard. Before he could reprimand her once more, she said, "I love you, Sasuke."

Sakura refused to hear anything else. Closing her eyes shut, she covered her ears in desperation. She didn't want to hear what Sasuke had to say. Her mind was telling her that he felt the same way, but actually hearing it would make her heart crumble. She wasn't strong enough to hear it.

Heck, she wasn't strong enough for this at all. It was clear that they knew each other in the past and Sasuke was protective of her. He didn't deny the engagement in any way, which only confirmed her doubts. The two of them were engaged even before their parents arranged theirs. Their engagement had been a fraud, and she fell in love with someone who could never return her feelings.

Karin loved him. Sakura knew that the two of them wouldn't be engaged when they didn't feel the same for each other. There was nothing else to think about. All the generous things he did for her in the past were meaningless now. It only proved that Sasuke was a nice person deep inside that cool façade.

Finally hearing the soft click of the infirmary door being shut, Sakura dropped her arms limply to her sides. She couldn't help it.

Despite everything being clear to her, she couldn't erase the gut wrenching feeling inside of her. It hurt so much.

It took a while before the tears came, but when they did, a jacket was thrown on top of her head, shielding her from any prying eyes that might take pleasure on her pain. Confused on who threw the material on her, she shifted to take it off when she heard Sai's voice.

"Keep it on so I don't have to see you cry," he said nonchalantly.

Regardless of her chaotic feelings of shame and distress, a smile slowly crept up her lips. She said nothing and pulled the jacket down so that her whole face was hidden. How odd. His statement was arrogant and still selfish but it helped ease the pain in her chest even a bit. Despite his egotism, Sakura was grateful by the mild gallantness of his actions.

He paused, respecting that she wanted a moment of silence. After a while he said, "I understand why you're crying, but what can you do about it if you cry? Nothing will change."

"I know that," she whispered and it sounded incoherent due to the jacket covering her face.

"What about the people around you? Are you going to keep on crying for every single thing that doesn't go your way?"

Sakura could only listen as Sai told her exactly what she wanted to tell herself all this time. He was right. He was **absolutely **right. Even after all these years―she still hasn't grown up yet. She was still the same. It was because all she could do was cry that she unintentionally hurt so many people around her. Instead of crying, she had to do something. She needed to change her situation.

She had to make her decision.

* * *

Hinata looked at the clock as she was walking out of class. It was thirty minutes before noon. Lunch time had started and she hadn't seen Sakura since the beginning of third period. Was she alright? Where could she be? It was making Hinata worried. Sakura had never skipped class before let alone two consecutive periods. Did she go home already?

"Hinata," a female voice called from behind her.

Hinata turned around with a smile, expecting her best friend to be standing behind her, but her shoulders unconsciously slumped in seeing the model, Yamanaka Ino, instead.

Ino frowned. "You look like you're expecting someone else. You're the one that called me to come to school today, so I took the rest of the day off."

Hinata tried to cover her embarrassment with a smile. "I'm sorry. Shall we go get lunch?"

Ino stared at her doubtfully but complied nonetheless. She was feeling a bit hungry.

As they were walking, they noticed a loud commotion happening in front of them. Girls were surrounding the middle of the hall with other students who were walking by looking with great interest, entertained by the event.

Irritated that these people were blocking their way, Ino went to tell them off with Hinata following in her heels.

Hinata cringed, having a bad feeling about the situation. This couldn't be good.

As Ino came closer to the turmoil, she could finally see who the mob was circulating. Sakura. Was she getting bullied again? Protective instincts rose inside of her making her subconsciously march towards the mob. She needed to save her friend. She needed to protect her. She couldn't abandon her like she did before. She needed to do something.

"Hey, what do you think you're doing?" Ino grabbed one of the girls' shoulders to force her to turn around to confront her. It didn't end as well as she hoped when the girl tried to jerk her shoulder out of her grip, pushing her roughly in the process.

The rough shove made her lose her balance that she fell painfully on her rear end. Hinata immediately rushed over to her side, asking her if she was alright. Ino groaned, rubbing her bottom to soothe the ache when she heard gasps all around her. Looking up, her eyes widened when she saw the girl who shoved her fall down flat on her back after receiving a strong punch in the face.

Ino could only stare in bewilderment as she slowly trailed her eyes towards the assailant. She couldn't believe it. Never in her whole life would she think that this would ever happen. Sakura actually did that? Why did Sakura punch that girl? What just happened?

When Sakura saw Ino being pushed, she snapped. She always ended up hurting the people around her unintentionally. She was different from Karin. She refused to be saved by anyone―to be a burden to anyone. Those thoughts were all it took that made her punch that girl's face as hard as she could.

"You can bully me all you want, but if you're going to get my _friends_ involved, don't expect me to stand idly by and watch," Sakura stated menacingly, glaring at girls who surrounded her. Some were starting to cower in fear while others only growled in annoyance. Knowing her threat wasn't enough, Sakura challenged them instead―one that made them think twice about their actions, "As you may all well know, I have two brothers and a sister who aren't novices when comes to fighting. I know quite a lot in defending myself besides pulling people's hair and scratching their eyes out. You won't even get to touch me."

Ino and Hinata could only stare at Sakura in shock as she glared at the girls around her once more that dispersed the mob immediately after. Most of them quickly walked away from the scene and some tried to help the girl on the ground, handing her a handkerchief to stop her nose from bleeding.

Despite the threats that some of the girls sent Sakura about telling this incident to their families, Sakura wasn't frightened. She only smiled at them confidently daring them to do so. She knew that they were all talk.

Hinata gaped, trying to form the words. She couldn't think of anything to say.

Sakura finally turned towards them, her expression contorting mysteriously.

Hinata closed her mouth, realizing that there was nothing for her to say in this situation. It was Sakura-chan and Ino-san's moment. She had no right to interfere.

"Ino," Sakura stated softly, concerned. "Are you alright?"

"I never knew you could actually punch people, Sakura," Ino chuckled, "I never thought of you as a gangster."

Hinata could only switch her gaze back and forth towards the two girls. They were… teasing each other. They broke off the heavy atmosphere with such simple words. It was obvious how much these two knew each other. They didn't mention anything about what their issues with one another but merely conversed with each other like old times. Somehow, Hinata couldn't help it but feel jealous.

The two of them were off in their own world that only they knew about. Hinata knew that there was nothing she could say to blend in their conversation. Although she felt envious by the closeness of their relationship, she took a deep breath and listened. They needed this moment and Hinata would honor that.

Now it was Sakura's turn to laugh, "Here I thought models had great sense of balance. She didn't push you too hard and you fell just like that."

Ino glared at Sakura, annoyed at her for belittling her abilities. "She definitely did** not** push me lightly."

Sakura smiled. "Is that so?" Abruptly, the humor in her eyes vanished and formed into a solemn expression. She couldn't continue the light mood of the conversation without knowing how they stood now. Could the friendship she abandoned be molded once more? She had to know. Kneeling down in front of Ino, Sakura lowered her gaze and muttered, "Is it okay… for us to be friends again?"

"Well," Ino giggled and let out a deep breath, "you're the only one I can call forehead. Nobody has a bigger forehead than you do. Your new hairstyle makes it stand out more."

Sakura's smile returned, but this time, it was much more pleasant and natural. "I look that good, huh?"

To be forgiven unconditionally hurt her more than she realized. It showed her how much she took advantage of Ino's kindness. She was lucky to have a friend like her.

* * *

After getting their lunches outside of school, they went to the rooftop for privacy. This way, they didn't have to deal with any people who would want to bully Sakura or even Akashi Karin and Uchiha Sasuke, knowing that Sakura didn't want to deal with them at the moment.

Ino had already been brought up to speed by Hinata, telling her the details of what happened today since they met the transfer student, Akashi Karin. Ino knew about the transfer student's claim of being Uchiha Sasuke's 'official' fiancée and his lack of response about the matter. Hinata had also told Ino about Sasuke's close relationship with the girl when he showed acts of heroism that wasn't what was generally known about his character. Still, it made Ino wonder out loud: "Is what she said even true?"

Sakura slowly nodded, "They arranged it themselves. Sasuke's parents don't know about it."

Ino sighed in exasperation, "Great, just when I finally gave up on him for you."

Perplexed, Sakura immediately turned to her in shock. She gave up on Sasuke… for her? "Ino…"

"The reason why I had the tabloids print that stuff about us being in a relationship―Sasuke and I―was only because I wanted to find out what was going on with you. When your engagement was announced, we figured that being in a 'relationship' would only be a hassle and we ended it," Ino explained, deliberately making up a decent lie that could easily swallowed. She didn't need them to know. _Besides, I have other priorities at this moment._

"Ino, you don't have to protect me anymore. I can take care of myself," Sakura replied softly, smiling at her best friend.

"I heard what happened in the cafeteria. Are you sure?" Ino asked speculatively. _Are you sure you can handle Ami?_

"I'm not scared of Ami anymore," Sakura said confidently, reading Ino's thoughts. "I've ignored her once and she hurt one of my friends because of it. I won't let that happen again."

Hinata frowned. Sakura-chan's friend? There was another person that was tied to Sakura-chan and Ami?

"What do you mean?" Ino asked, voicing out Hinata's thoughts out loud.

"When Ino left to pursue her career as a model, I met a girl named Sukishiro Tsubasa. She didn't stand out too much in school, but we were still friends. Because I was still friends with Ami back then, the time came when I had to pick between Ami and Tsubasa." Sakura turned away, uncomfortable with being stared at. It made her feel guiltier. "I made a terrible mistake and chose Ami. Because of my wrong decision, Tsubasa got hurt." Sakura smiled despite the pain she felt because of her stupidity. "I won't be gullible anymore. I won't make the same mistake again."

Ino and Hinata both knew that Sakura was referring to the two of them. They understood what she meant completely. Sakura was going to make up for all of the wrong things she had done to them in the future no matter what.

However, there was still something bugging Ino. "How does Sai relate to all of this?"

Sakura was taken aback by that unexpected question. Sai? "What are you talking about?"

Also confused by Ino's sudden question, Hinata pointed out, "When Sai first transferred to Konoha High, he didn't acknowledge that he knew anyone at all―even to Sakura-chan."

"In fact," Sakura added, "He was a complete ass towards me."

Ino's eyes narrowed suspiciously. It made it clear that Sai was planning something. Why would he pretend not to know Sakura? It didn't make any sense. What was his purpose coming to this school in the first place? Why did he come here for?

"Ino," Sakura muttered slowly, "Do you know Sai?"

"Sakura you lost your memories didn't you. Because it wouldn't be possible that you wouldn't remember Sai," Ino stated. Earning a questioning glance from both of her companions, Ino elaborated, "After all, you were the closest one who almost got into a relationship with him."

Sakura knew that this was a lie. Sai and her? Impossible. That couldn't be true. She would never think of Sai that way.

"There were only two people Sai has been the closest to in school at that time. First, it was that girl, Tsubasa," Ino paused deliberately watching Sakura trying to stifle a gasp from her mouth. "You were the last person that Sai became close to, Sakura."

* * *

"What do you mean you lost them?" Naruto hissed, gripping his Blackberry tightly in annoyance.

"_I can't find them anywhere."_

"And I thought you're the best tracker in the school," Naruto pointed out sarcastically, irritated that part of his plan wasn't going well.

"_Hey, she's deliberately avoiding me. She knows that I'm planning something."_

"I told you to stick with her as much as possible." If Kiba was here in Naruto's vicinity, a loud brawl would already be underway. This was definitely the last time he would rely on Kiba's _skills_. He couldn't even do a simple task. That guy was really unreliable.

"_Shut up―idiot! You haven't even done what you were supposed to do. Stop bitching like a girl and let me do my thing while you do yours."_ The conversation ended as the line went dead when Kiba closed off his cell phone, leaving Naruto gapping at his phone.

That bastard! He was one of those guys that favored having the last say in every argument. Their recent conversation had not been an exception. He'll definitely show him next time. Naruto swore it… except that he never won in any of their arguments. Maybe in the future…

"If you're going to keep daydreaming there, we're going to leave you," Shikamaru drawled out beside him.

Shiho merely laughed lightly, trying to lighten the mood a bit.

Naruto scowled and glared at Shikamaru in displeasure. Knowing that arguing wasn't going to delay them further, Naruto nodded determinedly, "Let's do this."

Shikamaru frowned, "You're not the one who's going to get in trouble when the school finds out about this, idiot." It was now known throughout the school that Naruto was the son of the owner of the school, which did confuse Shikamaru at times. Why couldn't Naruto just do this himself? He might have an easier chance of obtaining the data he wanted at home where his father might keep the school records.

Then again… that was uncommon nowadays. It was easier for records to get lost if they were kept in two different places unless―it was in the hard drive of a laptop or computer. Naruto definitely owed his for this.

"When we get to the AV room, I need someone to keep a lookout in the corridors just in case someone tries to come in. It will be very unlikely since the school staff is in a meeting at the moment, but it's still highly possible," Shiho explained, opening the door of their destination.

Naruto quickly nodded, "I'll go with Shiho to get the data while Shikamaru waits outside."

"What?" Shikamaru had a feeling Naruto was going to pull something like this and assigning him a troublesome job. That debt was increasing by the minute. Oh, Naruto better make it up to him big time. "You better not take long." He slowly closed the door and crossed his arms with a sigh. Keeping watch was such a hassle.

It didn't even take a minute before trouble occurred.

"What are you doing here, Nara?" Temari asked as she approached Shikamaru with casual steps, eyeing him curiously.

Great. Nothing was ever going to run smoothly, was it?

* * *

Ino didn't know how to break it to Sakura, but after hearing the small summary of what happened to Sakura after her departure, Ino knew that there was something definitely wrong. Sakura acted as if she met Tsubasa after Ino left, but that was never the case. "Sakura, Tsubasa was Sai's childhood friend and as a member of S.A.I. she was our rival," Ino said, rendering Sakura speechless. There was definitely something wrong about the entire situation, but no matter what, Ino was going to remain by Sakura's side. That was the main reason why Ino had to tell her this.

Sakura could only stare at Ino in shock. Tsubasa never mentioned Sai ever. Still… this was Ino―her best friend who was willing to forgive her despite leaving without a trace two years ago. Who was the person to trust: Ino or Tsubasa? Should she believe the person who had been her loyal friend since childhood, or should she believe the person whom she owed forgiveness to? She wanted to tell Ino that it wasn't true. She whispered her thoughts out loud before she could stop herself.

"Explain to me why?" Ino asked brusquely, hurt that Sakura refused to believe her and would side with the person who claimed to hate Sakura. "Why didn't you tell me anything about it? Did she ask you to isolate yourself and leave your friends?"

Sakura shook her head. "You were my only friend at that time Ino, but I was stupid back then and I made so many mistakes. I did that for my own selfish reasons so I left without telling you anything."

"Why though?" Ino repeated, vaguely understanding Sakura's explanation.

Recalling Tsubasa's words of hatred, Sakura couldn't help but feel a wrench in her heart. She hated to feel that pain again.

"_How could you?" Tsubasa cried, glaring at her as fiercely as she could, "I trusted you! How could you do this to me!"_

"_I _**hate**_ you."_

"Because I didn't want you to hate me."

Hinata knew that she should be feeling out of place at this very moment. Oddly enough, she felt nothing but relief that Sakura was finally opening up to them and empathy towards someone who was struggling with her emotions. Hinata never knew how alone Sakura had felt after all these years and to bury secrets that were breaking her from the inside.

Sakura-chan was hurting and Hinata had been so blind that she didn't notice. It was going to be different from now on though. This time, Hinata was going to stand by Sakura's side no matter what.

"What a stupid thing to say… I can't hate you," Ino said softly. "I just want you to be careful. Since you lost your memories people might take advantage of that. Until you regain your memory, I will believe in you no matter what."

It was obvious that the loss of Sakura's memory had been very convenient for the person who was twisting and turning everything against Sakura's favor. The question was: who was it?

* * *

"I should ask you the same thing," Shikamaru challenged.

Temari's eyebrow rose in unfazed amusement. "I have an errand to do for Baki-sensei, and I need you to get out of the way so I can pass." She gestured for Shikamaru to step aside.

Shikamaru didn't move, which earned him an irritated frown, replacing Temari's amusement in a flash.

"Get out of my way, Nara."

Shikamaru didn't say anything but sighed; however, he still refused to move.

"Are you hiding something?" Temari asked, her eyes intensifying into a suspicious glare. "What's going on in there?" She quickly brushed Shikamaru aside and grabbed the doorknob to open the door and witness whatever was happening inside.

With quick reflexes, Shikamaru grabbed Temari's hand, stopping her from sliding the door open. She looked at him in amazement before her expression averting into a daring one.

Just let him try and stop her.

The two of them stayed in the same position and kept their gazes locked in silent challenge, completely keeping their attention locked to the other.

"No way that's happening," Shikamaru stated monotonously.

They were only able to look away from one another when the door abruptly opened.

Naruto burst out of the opened door and exclaimed, "It's finally done! Thanks Shika―"

Shikamaru grimaced at Naruto's excellent timing. Now they were in deep trouble.

"What exactly are you talking about, Uzumaki?" Temari asked with the intensity of her stare making Naruto cringe in fright.

Oh shit!

* * *

The lunch bell was going to ring soon, signaling the end of their lunch break. Sakura knew that she had to hurry up and find him. As she quickly strolled down the halls, she looked around her to see if she could find him anywhere. She needed to find Sai. Because of what he said to her earlier, she was able to open her eyes to what mattered the most.

Even if it wasn't necessary, she felt like she needed to thank him. She was grateful for what he did.

For a few minutes, she went around the campus building to see if she could find him. Having no luck, she tried outside feeling that she would find him there. She smiled in relief when she found him sitting on the grass and leaning on a bark of a tree in an isolated part of the campus grounds. She was glad that her intuition was right.

Before she could reach him, however, she was knocked off her feet by a blow to her back, making her stumble forward and fall down the ground. With a groan, she leaned up with her elbows and looked behind her to identify her attacker. There wasn't only one person but three girls who were towering behind her with wicked smiles on their faces. Was she ever going to get some peace around this place?

"That was for hurting my sister," the middle girl spat vengefully.

Sakura couldn't believe this. That coward had a sister in this school. Great. Now she had to fight other people's kinsman because of self-defense. Really? Was this ever going to end?

"Oh look, she's so shocked that she can't even move," the girl at the right giggled.

"How pathetic," was the comment of the girl at the left.

"Hardly, you people just look desperate, that's all," Sakura stated humorlessly.

The girl in the middle gave a wry laugh, "You won't be saying that when I teach you a lesson." Grabbing Sakura, the girl forced Sakura up to her knees. With a malicious giggle, the girl said, "I'm going to enjoy seeing you cry."

Sakura knew right there and then that she was going to get beaten into a bloody pulp. The whole day made her exhausted. She was becoming tired of all this pursuing. Maybe if she gave them what they wanted, they would finally leave her alone.

Before Sakura could even yelp, she felt another force tugging her in the opposite direction, out of the girl's grasp. As if thrown like a rag doll, Sakura fell backwards roughly on the ground. When she heard screams and screeches, Sakura willingly opened her eyes and looked at her assailants now covered in paint. Sakura heard the girls mutter curses and vulgarities, while her savior effortlessly shot back his own pair of insults. Why did he save her? The question was ringing inside her head over and over. She could only stare at him in shock. It was the person she least expected.

"If you people **ever **come near her again, it won't be paint I'll be throwing at you next time," Sai threatened without a shred of remorse, "I'll make sure of it."

The girls scrambled away throwing some more curses and final words before disappearing from their sight.

Sakura attention, however, was solely focused on Sai that she didn't even notice that they were gone until it went quiet. After a few moments, she finally mustered the effort to stand up. Sakura looked at Sai in bewilderment. "Why did you do that?" She was confused. What was his motive? Was it sincere or did he have a hidden agenda like Ino said he might?

Sai had enough of this charade. He was through trying to aggravate and entice her just to make her remember. "You still don't remember who I am?" Sai asked, his eyes glinting mysteriously. If she wasn't going to remember it, he would forcefully make her remember.

Sakura shook her head in utter confusion, "I don't understand you. You were so cruel to me before. Why are you doing something like this now?"

"You want to know why?" Sai smirked, taking a step towards her. "I'll tell you why."

Sakura braced herself for anything he would do, but this was one thing she didn't expect. Forcefully gripping her necktie, he pulled her towards him and brought her face closer to his. However, instead of getting a kiss like she expected, he pulled her until his lips were grazing her ear.

"You're a liar, Sakura," he whispered huskily in her ear.

Sakura shivered in response but didn't pull away. What was he saying? She stiffened when she then felt his arms wrapping around her smaller frame.

"Why didn't you go, idiot?" Sai asked, the hoarseness of his voice intensifying, giving her the urge to lean towards him and just take what he had to offer.

What was she supposed to say? 'I don't know'? It was true though. She didn't know. She had no clue what he was talking about.

Before she could think of anything else, Sai released her as if he was burned and took a step away from her. He didn't say anything else and walked away from her.

She didn't know what made her do it. Was it the deafening sound of her thumping heart, or was it the unfamiliar flashbacks she saw? One thing was clear though. It made her react uncharacteristically.

Taking a rapid step towards him, she grabbed his shoulder sleeve, preventing him from walking any further. He turned around, with a puzzled expression, while she stared at him with a mysterious frown.

What was it he was seeing?

Her expression was the clear reason that altered his decision from that day.

It was the same as that time.

Longing.

It was as if she was silently telling him not to go.

* * *

Tsunade sighed, dialing a familiar phone number. She waited patiently for the other line to pick up and for the secretary to connect her to her friend. Finally hearing Haruno Sumire answering the phone, Tsunade quickly went through all the pleasantries and went to the matter at hand.

"Sumire, I know that you're worried about Sakura, which is why I agreed to keep an eye on her for you but this has become too much for me to handle."

"_What do you mean?" _Sumire asked in a worried tone.

"Haruno Sakura is being bullied more than I had seen ever since I became a principal at this school. I think it would be best if she went to another school." Swiveling around on her chair, Tsunade spoke gravely, "She can't stay in this school anymore."

_**TBC**_

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* * *

A/N: **Thank you for everyone who reviewed last chapter. To be honest, I read your reviews at least five times before I'm able to start writing. Motivation much? Tell me what you guys think for this one. I didn't think anything happened in this chapter. I prefer the next one. I'll give you guys a sneak peak and decide.

I know most of you want to review now, huh? Go on - I know you have something to say. I look forward in reading your reviews after three days. Read the summary of the next chapter and let's see if you still don't want to review.

Also to any anonymous readers out there that don't want to make a fanfiction account. Sign-up for my mailing list so I can notify you about the next chapter's updates. The link will be in my profile.

**

* * *

Chapter 24―New Bonds**

"What are you saying?" Karin gasped incredulously.

"You can't marry Sasuke because he's still very much engaged to Haruno Sakura," Itachi stated complacently, with the smug confidence of someone who knew something that the other person didn't.

"How can that be?"

Itachi merely smirked, resurfacing Karin's doubts and diminishing her hope.

**

* * *

Updated: **May 22, 2010


	24. New Bonds

**Engagement On Hold**

**Summary:** (AU) Uchiha Sasuke is Konoha High's reigning prince. Haruno Sakura is…? Who is she again? What happens when the guy everybody knows finds himself engaged to the girl nobody knows?

**Genre:** Romance/Humor/Drama

**Pairings:** Sasuke/Sakura, Naruto/Hinata, Shikamaru/Temari

**Author:** pei-chan

**Disclaimer:** Wouldn't it be nice if Sasuke and Sakura were really engaged in the Naruto series? Then again, that would only occur in our dreams… ne?

**A/N: **This chapter is lighter than the past few chapters I wrote. Someone mentioned that it was getting too sad and needed some happiness, so I tried my best to make this chapter lighter. I wanted it to be funny but I'm not too sure that's how it came out. Then again if it was too funny, the serious parts won't make as much impact, ne?

**

* * *

Chapter 24―New Bonds**

She never would have expected herself to make such an impulsive move. However, as she watched his back as he was walking away from her, flashes clouded her vision.

"_We'll meet again someday, so stop crying," _a little boy's voice echoed in her head.

The voice didn't match the new figure she was seeing. It was a young teenage boy's back she was now seeing, and he was doing the exact same thing―walking away from her as his form slowly lost its lucidity.

She felt her heart constrict and her mind fill with anxious thoughts. _No―don't go! _She didn't want him to leave. She didn't want to be left alone.

She reacted on impulse and grabbed Sai's sleeve frantically. She didn't want to be left alone again. She didn't even notice his surprised gaze as she looked at him apprehensively.

_Don't leave me!_

They stared at each other for a while with their gazes interlocked and unwavering. It wasn't until a moment later when Sakura's thoughts and vision finally clarified that she realized what she was doing. Gasping in embarrassment, she abruptly released his crumpled sleeve and dropped her hands to her sides.

She blushed and looked away bashfully. She couldn't think of any excuses. What was she supposed to say?

The sight of his hand reaching out for hers was enough to alarm her. Stifling a gasp, she brusquely looked up, unsure what he would do. She didn't understand him at this point… or herself. She was supposed to dislike him and have nothing to do with him, but now? She didn't know. She didn't know what she wanted, or what to think.

Because of the thoughts jumbling inside her brain, she wasn't aware that their situation had become more intimate until she felt his arms tightening around her frame, squeezing her closer towards his lithe one. The most reasonable thing to do in this situation was to slap him and demand that he release her from his embrace, but her body wouldn't move. She was stiff with her hands hanging limply on her sides.

The feelings of being in his arms were somewhat… familiar. How could that be?

* * *

The feeling of her in his arms brought him great relief for the first time in the past two years. After all the time that had passed, she was still able to make him feel so many things at once without even doing anything.

He couldn't believe it. He never expected that it would only take a single act of kindness from him to actually trigger her memories. His plan of being a jerk to her never worked out even a bit. Well, wasn't that a laugh. How ironic… he initially planned to punish her for deceiving him and making him feel that vulnerable and useless emotion.

Love.

Now, seeing her vulnerable state was enough to override his sensibility and he pulled her into his arms without thinking twice about it. Just like before… he wanted to comfort her.

He really hated this feeling. He should have known that trying to get closer to her was only going to revive this feeling once again.

Damn her.

This feeling was something he had wanted to erase. He had been certain that this feeling already diminished years ago, but she was able to bring it back and make him feel it once more.

She was a real thorn at his side, but even if he did hate feeling vulnerable and weak he wasn't able to push this feeling back down.

It was official.

He was in love with this girl―Haruno Sakura.

And her fiancée, Uchiha Sasuke wasn't going to lift a finger to take her. For him, Sakura was just an unwanted obligation.

That was fine with Sai. Sasuke could shirk his _obligation._ It would be Sai's _privilege_ to take Sakura off of his hands.

* * *

"If that's an invitation" ―Sai murmured huskily, a smile appearing across his handsome face― "I'll take it."

Sakura stiffened when she felt the smile in his voice. Any pleasant thought she had before was dismissed, only to be replaced by pure rage. He was still the same guy who could shatter any good mood she had with a simple statement. She roughly pushed him away and gave him a piercing glare. He was and would always be an asshole. Anything he would do would not have any pure intentions―ever.

"It's like you're asking me to ravish you," Sai said smugly in such a way that made Sakura's hand itch. She wanted to slap him so badly.

"If I wanted to be ravished―you would be the last person I'll ask!" Emerald fire shot from her eyes at Sai as he shrugged.

"Well then, I guess I'll just have to try harder," Sai declared confidently.

Sakura had been prepared with his teasing, but this new persistence was something she wasn't ready for. She blushed unknowingly, his statement affecting her more than she expected.

* * *

After informing Sumire about how Sakura was treated for the past week, the line had conspicuously been silent. Tsunade didn't dare to speak, and she patiently waited for Sumire to make her decision. She knew that this was a difficult situation for her; however, Tsunade knew that there was only one thing that could be done.

It might be unfair, but sometimes it was better to lay low once and a while. Fighting ones battles doesn't always make a person courageous, but could even be a sign of stupidity. Fighting blindly can cause some serious consequences, and as part of the business world, teenagers' problems weren't good grounds to break business deals with other companies. It was just too risky.

It was already too late to turn things back to the way it was before. Too many people―students―felt that Haruno Sakura "bragging" about her engagement with Uchiha Sasuke during her birthday party, and when a decision like that was made, they weren't going to stop until Sakura was publicly humiliated. Most were even too shallow to reason out the situation due to their minds clouded by their pathetic excuse of justice/jealousy.

If Sakura was to stay in school, the bullying would increase and would quickly become physical. Tsunade wanted to prevent that from happening no matter what.

"Tsunade, I'll be there tomorrow," was Sumire's calm and solemn reply.

Immediately after that simple statement, the line went dead.

* * *

Naruto could feel the cold sweat being secreted from his sweat glands as an automatic response due to the fix he was in.

Yeah, things never go as planned.

"What are you doing here?" Temari repeated.

Naruto gulped nervously, trying to find a quick and believable excuse. "About that…"

"Can't you go in another room?" Shikamaru swiftly interjected, preventing Naruto from saying the wrong thing by mistake and blabbing what they did. He sent Naruto a sharp glance, telling him to keep his mouth shut.

Naruto nodded mutely, understanding the message. He would leave it to Shikamaru to make use of that 200+ IQ of his to come up with something to get them out of this mess before it _really_ exploded all over their faces.

Temari didn't miss the silent communication between the two of them. "What mischief are the two of you planning?" she asked suspiciously, eyes narrowing speculatively.

"We were sent here by Asuma-sensei." Maybe that excuse might work, even though it wasn't that creative.

"Nice try," Temari scoffed, "but I know you're lying."

"And why do you think that?" He had to test her. How much did she know?

"Because you're with him," Temari offhandedly pointed towards Naruto whose uneasy laugh was easily ignored by the two. "_He's_ always doing something mischievous whenever he gets the chance."

"You're assuming that even though he's with me, he would be planning something like that."

Temari crossed her arms and asked coolly, "Then tell me―what have you been doing in there?"

This time, Naruto jumped into the conversation. "Nothing of import," he said, shaking his head in denial.

"Are you looking for the exams coming up soon or are you trying to change your marks?" She was trying to figure out what they were doing inside that room. That could be a reasonable explanation.

Naruto made a motion to reply while Shikamaru didn't even blink. Frankly, he didn't need to resort to such desperate measures to pass.

It was the only thing she could think of that made sense. Maybe that was it. "Or maybe this is your lover's nest?" Temari bluntly muttered the passing thought out loud. That was plausible too.

Come to think of it.

Hmm… maybe.

Naruto looked like he was about to hurl because of Temari's insinuation, whereas Shikamaru merely sighed and rolled his eyes in disgust.

They really were siblings. They thought alike. Shikamaru thought, mentally relating Temari's recent outburst with Sakura's public announcements about a chain of unconventional relationships at lunch during the beginning of the year. He had to admit that listening to the string of gay relationships was entertaining, but being a part of it was a different issue. That did **not** sound out right.

It was then that Shiho came out of the AV room, but that didn't help their situation one bit.

Temari gave the girl a secondary glance and unthinkingly blurted out, "A threesome then."

Shiho blushed at the blunt statement, not normally used to vulgar remarks.

Naruto, however, wasn't going to take the crap anymore. "That's disgusting! We're just **friends**! We may eat lunch together" ―seeing Temari's eyebrow rise in disbelief, Naruto became more desperate to deny his "queer"-ness― "and I'm doing Sakura-chan a favor too!" he blurted out before he could stop himself.

Shikamaru shook his head. So much for keeping things a secret. Naruto could never keep his mouth shut. That idiot.

All signs of humor vanished from Temari's face and she cast Naruto a cautious glare. "What about Sakura?"

"Here I am trying to help Sakura-chan get back together with Sasuke-teme and you're accusing me of lustin―"

Okay, Naruto needed to stop right there. That was something Shikamaru had no desire of hearing in public―ever. "Naruto, I'll take care of this. You and Shiho get out of here."

Naruto didn't even care that he was rudely cut off and gave Shikamaru a questioning glance. "What are you going to do?" He was just relieved that his sexuality wasn't being poked fun off anymore. To think―if Hinata-chan heard of it…

"Never mind―just go," Shikamaru ordered impatiently.

Obediently, Naruto scrambled with Shiho out of there before Temari could stop them.

Temari didn't bother. She would find out what she needed. It was easier to have a decent conversation with Shikamaru, even though he managed to push her tolerance to its limits most of the time with his laid back attitude.

When the two of them were finally left alone, Shikamaru asked, "What do I need to do so you can keep quiet about this whole thing?"

"What are you planning?"

"It's not something I can tell you."

"In the case that my sister gets hurt because of _this_ plan, I know who I'm going to go to extract punishment from," Temari stated sardonically, adding a simple threat, "won't I?"

Should he tell her? Well, he didn't have much choice, did he? There wasn't anything much Shikamaru could do to fix this mess. There was nothing left to do but tell her. "Naruto is planning on spreading a picture of intimacy between the two of them via e-mail."

"That's why you needed the AV room," Temari clarified, "You needed everyone's e-mail addresses."

"It's a stupid plan," Shikamaru scoffed. _And a bad one too_, he mentally added.

"I agree," Temari nodded immediately. "Do you have the picture?"

He took out his phone and flipped it open. He scrolled through the menu until he was able to reach the image of the said picture on the screen of his phone, which he promptly showed to Temari. It wasn't a compromising picture. In fact, some might even find the picture very romantic with Sakura gazing distantly and innocently into space as she knelt on the ground and Sasuke kissing her lightly on the cheek.

If they were in normal circumstances, Temari would've found the picture quite sweet, but being acquainted with the youngest Uchiha prevented her from feeling anything but dread at seeing the two of them in such an intimate pose. Word had already come out about Sasuke's _official_ fiancée, Akashi Karin, and Temari knew that if Sakura was once again connected to Uchiha Sasuke as a romantic interest, the bullying would escalate.

What was that idiot thinking?

"You were going to let Naruto send this to everyone at school?" Temari demanded in outrage. Scowling, she added insultingly, "And I thought you were smart."

He didn't take the insult lightly. "He said he wasn't going to send it. He just needed leverage."

"There's one thing you can do so that I won't tell the teachers about this incident," Temari smirked, a plan formulating in her mind. She couldn't take any chances. "I want you to spy on Naruto."

Spy on Naruto? That meant spending the majority of his day trying to watch the blonde try to come up with new pranks and complain about the lack of ramen menus at the school cafeteria. "No," Shikamaru deadpanned bluntly. Yeah, that wasn't happening.

Knowing he was going to be stubborn about it, Temari took out her own phone and started dialing a number. Well, at least she tried. She brought the phone to her ear and smirked at hearing the ringing tone. Expecting his interference, Temari merely smiled triumphantly when he snatched the phone out of her hands and snapped it close, stopping the call midway.

Thinking she got her way, Temari watched with intrigue as Shikamaru dialed a number on his own phone. They both waited silently as the phone rang. Shikamaru pressed the speaker button when he heard the other line pick up.

Temari heard Uzumaki Naruto's voice from the other line. _"Shika―hey what happened?"_

Shikamaru didn't break his gaze from Temari's as he replied calmly, "She took the bait. We're good."

Oh, so this was how he was going to compromise. Her eyebrows rose in amusement. Listening to other people's conversations while they were on their phones wasn't a common occurrence for Temari, but she found the experience quite fascinating.

Ah, the new evolution of spying.

"_Sorry I got you into this mess,"_ Naruto muttered guiltily.

"You can make it up to me by telling me why you want to bring those two together so much." Shikamaru didn't question it before, because he really didn't care one way or the other, but he knew that his companion definitely did.

"_Before, it was because I saw how much Sakura-chan loves him, and the other," _there was a pregnant pause as if Naruto didn't want to tell him about it. Either way, Shikamaru was going to make him tell him about it, but he didn't need to make such an effort when Naruto continued, _"I don't think Karin's feelings for Sasuke are genuine. I don't want him to make that mistake."_

Shikamaru knew that the sight of the frown on Temari's face was almost identical to the one on his own face. "You know the transfer student?"

"_The three of us went to the same elementary school together."_

* * *

As he walked through the halls talking to Shikamaru on the phone about his relationship with Sasuke and Karin when they were younger, he became too engrossed with the conversation that he started wandering aimlessly around. He tended to avoid crowded areas at the risk of someone eavesdropping.

"Karin had been the target of bullies when we were younger and Sasuke would always come and save her. At first I thought that Sasuke had feelings for Karin, but he told me that she was just a friend. That's why when Karin told me one day that Sasuke promised to marry her one day, I couldn't believe it," Naruto dragged his hand absently through his spiky hair, recalling Karin's ecstatic face as she told him that news.

"I couldn't believe it," he repeated after a distinctive pause. "They were never even together before. Even if they were going out and were trying to hide it, I would know since I'm Sasuke's closest friend―but marriage?" He sighed in remembered disbelief, the feeling still raw as if the event occurred just yesterday. "I know that he had some family troubles at that time but to propose to a girl he didn't even harbor any feelings for is unreasonable.

"That's why I can't let him go through with it. I thought that if she left, the distance would open his eyes and make him change his mind. I was actually glad when I found out that Sakura-chan was engaged to him, but he's still as stubborn as before."

As he went on with the story, the confusion and anger he felt before resurfaced. He needed to get it out of his system. He didn't do anything before because he never thought anything against the match and actually preferred it. If there was anyone who would be best for Sasuke at that time, Karin was the one Naruto would choose. After all, Karin's feelings for him were more genuine than the rest, but it wasn't until he met Sakura-chan that he witnessed how one was supposed to love another person.

When he saw her cry in Gaara's arms under the rain a week ago, he knew that Sakura-chan was definitely in love with Sasuke. Even if they weren't really close to each other, Naruto felt that it was his duty to make Sasuke realize that it was a mistake to let go of a girl who held such intense feelings for him.

After hearing Sasuke's reason for hurting Sakura-chan, Naruto understood that Sasuke wasn't in love with Sakura-chan. Naruto had doubts that Sasuke only made certain to break his engagement with Sakura-chan because of his promise to Karin. If there was someone his best friend _could_ fall in love with, Naruto was certain that Sakura-chan would be that person.

"Shikamaru, I've had it. I'm changing the plan. I'm going to send the picture to everyone. Maybe that will open his eyes once and for all who he _should_ marry." Naruto barely heard Shikamaru's protest on the other line as he ended the call with a determined look on his face.

His best friend was definitely frustrating. That stubborn bastard needed a wakeup call, and he had just the tools needed to do so.

Firm in his resolve, he opened the picture on the screen of his phone. Before he could even fill the receiver space of the message, a voice echoed behind him, stopping him from finishing his task.

"Mind explaining to me why you have an unauthorized candid picture of my sister and her ex-fiancée."

It was Gaara and he didn't sound too happy, and the threatening edge in his voice did create a spark of newfound nervousness.

Oh great, not again.

Why were Sakura-chan's siblings always interrupting him?

* * *

"Aha―there you are!"

Sakura nearly jumped at hearing Kiba's loud voice interrupting her moment of solitude and peace. She had already parted awkwardly with Sai, and she was finally able to replay the event once more in her mind. She was trying to remember who she saw and whose voice she heard when she saw Sai's back walking away from her. Having no such luck, she tried to see if she could remember her lost memories instead, only for Kiba to startle her all of the sudden.

"If you came here to ask for extra lessons today, I'm going to have to decline. I'm stressed enough as it is―"

"I have enough of your torturous scheduled lectures," Kiba grimaced, "I would be crazy to ask for extra lessons. I came here to ask you―" Kiba could read Sakura's scowl clearly, knowing she was thinking about the incident a couple of days before when he lightheartedly asked her out― "Like hell, as if I'd ask a demon to be my girlfriend," he insulted her to get her mind out of the gutter. "I want you to eat lunch with us starting tomorrow."

"With your group?"

"Yeah, I already asked Hinata and she said she would only go if you came as well."

"You can't seriously try to gain Hinata's favor by making her sit on the same table as the two of you, idiot," Sakura chided, mentally grinning at seeing a light blush painted on Kiba's cheeks. "I admire your devotion to her but I still think Naruto is a better guy for her than a mutt like you."

"Sometimes, I wonder why I bother with you," Kiba snarled. "If you weren't my friend, I would've bashed your head already."

Sakura's grin turned into a smile at that statement.

* * *

Sakura had been used to going home by herself. Sometimes, if Hinata didn't have any practice, the two of them would go home together. That day had been different and it became the first time she went home with a bunch of people. She never thought that it would be such a pleasant experience.

Today had been a special day, not only because she going home with Hinata, due to her cancelled karate practice, but Ino was also there with her as they walked out of the building on their way home. It was the first time they would go home together after so many years, which brought Sakura great relief. At last their issue had been resolved. It wasn't forgotten, but at least their relationship didn't end the way it did.

Now, they had the opportunity to move forward from here.

"Look who it is," Ino mentioned neutrally in seeing a familiar figure coming towards them.

Following Ino's trailing gaze, Hinata automatically smiled while Sakura remained impassive as Naruto came.

Briefly greeting the two other girls, he went in front of Hinata and grinned excitedly as he tried to confirm the news "Is it true that you're going to sit with us at lunch starting tomorrow, Hinata-chan?"

Hinata turned to Sakura, silently seeking help. Knowing Hinata's condition and her great infatuation towards the blonde, Sakura couldn't help but sigh as she slowly nodded. Giving Naruto a meek smile, she gave him a happily enthused nod that made Naruto pump his fist in the air enthusiastically.

_At least there's still some happiness present in the world, _Sakura thought grimly, slightly bitter about her own unfortunate circumstance in her own romantic department. That was, if she even had one. _Love life? What 'love life'? Broken hearted life is more like it_, she added with a scoff.

"Another single celled organism is making its way towards us higher life forms," Ino muttered, now seeing Kiba coming towards them. Didn't any of these people have anything to do after school?

Hinata looked around but saw no one until she felt an arm sling casually around her neck. Turning towards the culprit, Hinata gave Kiba a soft smile that made Naruto snarl in jealousy.

Enjoying Naruto's resentment, Kiba acknowledged him with a smug smirk that made Naruto fume.

Rolling her eyes at the immature display, Sakura clapped her hands to earn their attention. "Now, now children―no need to get all hot and bothered. If we're going to be sitting together at lunch starting tomorrow, we should learn to get along."

"Oh, so now you're agreeing to sitting with us," Kiba taunted, taking his arm off around Hinata and walking towards her.

"Unlike you, some people knew how to ask," Sakura chided offhandedly.

"You mean you wanted someone else to ask you."

Sakura sighed, "You were never really that convincing."

They were both face to face, arguing aimlessly, jumping from one topic to another. Naruto, Hinata and Ino could only stare with interest as the verbal brawl continued onward. None of them ever expected that the two of them had been this close to each other.

Naruto couldn't help it. The urge was too great and he had to ask, "Are you two going out?"

The two immediately stopped bickering and cast Naruto a blank stare and a frown of disgust.

"You disgusting pig."

"Are you high?"

Naruto couldn't help but think that he should probably not have asked as he heard their simultaneous response. He was going to have to deal with two yapping women on PMS. Don't get him wrong. Naruto knew that Kiba was a guy, but man, when that guy got pissed; it was like a woman on menopause. Sakura-chan was a bit more on the uncaring side. She had a thicker layer of skin that prevented the emotional juice from completely squirting out ferociously.

If only Naruto knew that he was the same when he went ballistic.

"Even during the end of the day, you still yell in high decibels, Kiba."

Ino couldn't contain her smile as she turned towards the new voice and said, "It's about time you showed up, lazy ass."

"Never knew I had a schedule to keep track of," Shikamaru replied with a shrug. His best friend, Akimichi Chouji stood next to him, holding a bag of potato chips.

Ino gave a sour grunt and grimaced after she saw Chouji consuming his food supply. "What _are_ you: an orphan in a Third World country? Aren't you supposed to be on a diet? You won't get a girlfriend if you keep eating like that."

Forgetting her argument with Kiba and Naruto's unwanted comment, Sakura looked at the three as they continued to interact, absentmindedly forgetting about their companions.

"I don't think Chouji wants advice from a woman who has no boyfriend whatsoever," Shikamaru muttered tauntingly.

"At least I'm famous," Ino crossed her arms and snorted snobbishly.

"Yeah, so much that's given you. You're still single."

"Shut up, Shikamaru!" Ino growled, her patience running thin when he continued with his petty insults. "No one asked you!"

"Ino-chan, you s-shouldn't take him seriously," Hinata comforted helpfully, trying to lighten the negative air around them, but only stammered in the process. They were making her nervous.

However, Kiba thought otherwise. "Nah, let 'em go Hinata. It was getting good."

Ino shot him with a piercing glare while Sakura rolled her eyes once more. Geez, how low could this guy get. He was really immature.

Naruto whistled encouragingly. Unfortunately for the three girls, he agreed with his friend. It was one of those moments when they would agree with one another.

Sakura shook her head with a sigh. Men, she could never understand them.

"You should be thankful I broke our engagement. You were too lazy to do anything about it," Ino argued, feeling that she deserved some respect for putting an end to their unwanted engagement.

Shikamaru didn't think so. In fact, he knew that it would only be a matter of time before she did it. "I should thank that guy you liked. If it wasn't for him, I would've been stuck with an annoying woman like you."

"Well," Ino smirked after taking a deep breath to calm her nerves. "You're going to have to deal with me starting tomorrow since I'm going to be eating lunch with you guys from now on."

"No one invited you."

"If Sakura's eating with you guys, I'm going to be there as well," Ino replied gleefully. "I'm going to enjoy our time together, Shikamaru." She just wanted to say it to make him squirm.

Shikamaru averted his gaze from the said girl who read his thoughts and said frankly, "If you don't want me there, just say so," and shot a quick look towards the blonde who quickly shook his head pleadingly, Shikamaru sighed and surrendered. "Nah, I have no objections."

Now he was really stuck in the middle of this mess. His negligent life was over. At least this plan of Naruto's was more subtle and reasonable than his previous one. He was relieved when he got a call back from Naruto telling him that the plan was changed and that he needed Sakura to start sitting with them at lunch to make Sasuke jealous. Sasuke had already stopped sitting with them ever since yesterday when his _fiancée_ came to school. Naruto thought that if Sakura sat with them, Sasuke would realize what he was missing. Shikamaru wasn't sure whether the plan was going to work, but at least he didn't have to worry about Naruto doing something stupid without him knowing.

As if he was waiting for his turn, Chouji turned to Sakura. Sensing someone staring at her, Sakura looked back at him, trying to determine what he wanted with that nerve racking stare of his. She was afraid to say something, not knowing what to expect with him. She fought the urge to say, "Yeah, what do you want?" afraid that she might offend him even though her thoughts were definitely offensive.

"If you want to sit at our table, you have to pass an initiation first," he said, munching a potato chip that made his statement look more comical than apprehensive.

_What is this: grade school?_ Sakura thought indignantly. Who did initiations these days? Despite her lack of enthusiasm with the childishness of her fellow classmate, she decided there was nothing to lose in the situation and said, "And what is my fearsome task?"

"You have to buy me lunch tomorrow," Chouji said simply.

Taken by surprise by the plainness of the task, Sakura couldn't help but blink. Stifling a giggle, she tried to hide her emotions with a small smile and agreed, "Deal."

"If you buy him an extra large meal, he'll like you forever," Ino volunteered helpfully.

For the first time in her high school life, Sakura felt excited to go to school the next day.

* * *

Evening in the Uchiha manor had become a regular routine for its inhabitants. With the master and mistress of the house usually gone for business trips, the servants only needed to serve the two young masters who didn't so much as speak to one another. When the two did have a conversation or two in the house, it would usually end as a verbal match that would make the youngest Uchiha leave the house and return very late at night after his temper had cooled down a bit.

Today had been no different. Uchiha Itachi was once again alone in the house patiently waiting to dine for dinner alone when he heard a knock on his bedroom door and the maid opening the door by a fraction. After giving a low bow towards the Uchiha, the maid said professionally, "Akashi Karin has come by and asked for Sasuke-sama's presence. I told her that he was away and would come back later at night but she refused to leave and said that she would wait for him here instead."

"I see," Itachi nodded distantly, "I'll come right down. Thank you."

So the "fiancée" finally decided to visit her _future_ in-laws. For her to come to the Uchiha manor with the possibility of _the_ parents being there was something Itachi knew Karin was hoping for just to have them accept her engagement with their son, Uchiha Sasuke.

It was a bold and desperate move. It was just what Itachi heard about her.

He came to the living room where the servants had stashed her and saw her sitting comfortably on the sofa. "Akashi Karin I presume," he greeted with detached coolness.

Swiftly standing up, Karin gave a low bow towards the older Uchiha. "Uchiha Itachi," Karin greeted back with reverence.

"Sasuke is not here and won't be back until possibly early in the morning. I suggest you go home before it's too late."

"I want to wait for him," Karin muttered insistently.

Going to the single seat sofa, he sat down demonstrating the poise and charisma that most of the family possessed, and which many around them admired and tried to emulate. "And what exactly couldn't wait for you to talk to him about in person that couldn't be done on the phone?"

"I…" Karin stammered, unsure whether being blunt would be advisable.

"I know that Sasuke asked you to marry him when you were younger. Tell me, has he come to his senses yet?" He wasn't trying to be offensive. He was just being rational. After all, kids do stupid things and said things they didn't really mean. Just because his younger brother was an Uchiha didn't mean he hadn't been a _child_―and stupid.

Sparks flew from Karin's eyes that Itachi couldn't fail to notice. He knew he had touched a nerve and Karin was trying very hard not to retort and lash out at him, since that would lead to a bad impression.

Not bothering to hear her reply, Itachi said, "I'm sorry to say that my father will never welcome you as part of the family. He has certain **standards**."

Taking a deep breath to make certain that she wouldn't yell at him, Karin said in a controlled manner, "My family is rich now, and I know that's what your father values the most. I deserve to be with Sasuke."

"Getting rich isn't the answer, Akashi-san," Itachi corrected. "My father learned that a while ago," he chuckled secretively, "Our _family_ requires an entirely _different_ trait before we offer our blessing."

Karin thought about what she might be lacking. Breeding? She could train for that. Class? She could study other people no problem.

"It isn't what you think," Itachi said, reading her like a book. "Even if you did obtain the traits to be an Uchiha's wife, you still can't marry Sasuke because he's still spoken for."

"What are you saying?" Karin gasped incredulously.

"You can't marry Sasuke because he's still very much engaged to Haruno Sakura," Itachi stated complacently, with the smug confidence of someone who knew something that the other person didn't.

"How can that be?"

Itachi merely smirked, resurfacing Karin's doubts and diminishing her hope.

Despite her fears, she persisted by asking, "How can that be possible? The broken engagement was announced internationally. **That **girl announced it publically too and your parents didn't do so much as protest about it."

Shifting on his seat, Itachi decided to be frank about his confession. "Sakura might have talked to my parents about breaking the engagement, but my father didn't arrange their engagement―I did."

Karin was speechless. _You mean to say that I'm supposed to earn the favor of Sasuke's older brother―the one that left him?_ She had been going on about this the wrong way. Itachi wasn't the type to have preferences on riches. He even stepped down from being the heir and current head of the Uchiha clan after being appointed at the age of eighteen. He let go of the chance to lead a great empire and gave it all to his younger brother.

For the first time, Karin felt consternation. She felt that there wasn't anything she could do. No one knew how Itachi ticked―not even his own family. It was impossible to figure him out. All Karin could hope for was that Sasuke would remain faithful to her and still agree to marry her. He still needed her. She knew that for certain.

She thought about his ex-fiancée and Karin could feel her own bitterness consuming her whole. She knew that he felt nothing for that Sakura girl, but she couldn't help but feel jealous of her. Sakura was able to obtain a title that Karin found difficult to get.

The only relief she felt was that Sasuke didn't love the girl.

There was still hope for them.

* * *

It was usual for his best friend, Uzumaki Naruto to get a ride from him to school; however, after three months from when Naruto turned sixteen, everything became different. After getting his license as quickly as possible, he exchanged his cheap birthday present, a moped (low powered motorcycle), to a 2009 Nissan Skyline GT, in which he got severely punished for.

It didn't sit well with Minato to find his son hiding his relationship with his own father, not only by choosing to tell everyone he got into Konoha because of a scholarship program, but also by lying about his last name. Instead of using his birth name: Namikaze Naruto, Naruto used his mother's maiden name Uzumaki to enroll at Konoha High, which he intended to keep from his parents as long as possible, if only he didn't forget to register a post office box for all incoming mail with the name 'Uzumaki Naruto' on them. Needless to say, Kushina gave Naruto a severe ass kicking after she and Minato received his acceptance letters from Konoha High under the name 'Uzumaki Naruto.' Understanding parents that they were, Minato and Kushina persuaded Senju Tsunade to look the other way regarding their "adorable, but moronic son," and just go on with the pretense that he was who he said he was.

As for the cool, luxurious car, following many a discussion with his wife Kushina, Minato finally decided to let Naruto keep it at the cost of his allowance for the next five months. Naruto didn't care though, but only kept arguing with Sasuke about who had the better and faster car.

Even though his car was one year older than Naruto's, Sasuke still earned his peers' attention with his 2008 Toyota-FT-HS (Supra). Because of the car's huge four wheeled body, passers-by stopped to turn and admire the car as it passed by in the streets much to Naruto's dismay.

This day was completely different however; Sasuke knew that Naruto didn't need to catch a ride to school with him since Naruto had his car returned to him after it got taken away as a penalty for requiring a tutor to pass his grade level. In addition, Karin was going to get a ride with him to school and despite their history together, Sasuke knew that Karin would prefer to be alone in the car with him.

After quarrelling about Naruto's presence in his house after arriving early in the morning, in which Naruto replied that he wanted to go to school together, Sasuke decided to end their directionless conversation and went outside to get his car ready for school.

Regardless of Itachi's presence inside the house, Sasuke didn't think much of Naruto being in the same room as his older brother. They didn't talk much anyway and thought nothing of it. Little did he know they had more than enough to discuss about while he was away.

* * *

Watching his brother by the window, Itachi leaned on the wall absently and said to Naruto who stood beside him, "I know you came here to tell me something, Naruto. I suggest you get on with it before Sasuke leaves you behind to pick up his girlfriend."

"I don't know if you know this Itachi, but Sasuke became a completely different person after you abandoned him."

A highly charged silence followed and Naruto only continued after Itachi slowly turned to him, "He became colder and distanced himself from everyone… including me." Lowering his gaze towards the ground, he said distantly, "I know that after he turns eighteen, Sasuke will be appointed the head of the Uchiha clan."

"You do know what that means, don't you, Naruto?" Itachi asked despite knowing Naruto's knowledge about the matter.

Naruto avoided the question. That topic was something he didn't want to touch upon and wanted to keep away from it. "The way Sasuke is now, he'll destroy himself if he becomes the head of your clan."

"Which is exactly why an arranged marriage was made for him," Itachi said carefully, whereas Naruto frowned in response. "I want him capable of taking care of himself before I leave."

Naruto was starting understand the Uchihas' fearsome reputation. They used people―that wasn't a lie. He couldn't help but get angry that they would use Sakura-chan. Was that why Sasuke wanted to break the engagement?

He didn't want his family to take advantage of her.

* * *

He didn't expect her to be here standing over his family's property once again. He didn't think she would after he told her off, yet here she was.

"What are you doing here again, Sakura?" Sasuke asked, eyeing his ex-fiancée warily.

Averting her gaze from his, she fumbled inside her pocket in search of something. Finding the object missing, her shoulders slumped with a sigh. The necklace wasn't there. Where was it? Did she forget it at home? Realizing that her point for coming here was now gone, Sakura tried to figure out an alternative for coming by unannounced. His stare was starting to weigh on her, making her more anxious by the minute.

Sasuke understood her reason for coming here. The moment he saw her put her hand inside the pocket of her skirt, he knew she came here to return the necklace he gave her. He preferred to avoid talking about the piece of jewelry, and he relaxed when he noticed that she didn't have it. With the necklace out of the picture, there was only one other topic Sakura would talk about. Sasuke knew that Sakura had questions about Karin―another topic he didn't want to talk about. However, prolonging it longer didn't sit well with him, so if she did want to ask about Karin, he would answer her. What she said next was something he didn't anticipate.

"I want you to stop meddling with my life," Sakura demanded. "I know how to protect myself."

"You're not that strong," Sasuke countered realistically.

"I don't want to be protected by you in half-measures." Her voice turned soft as if she was giving advice to a friend, "You should focus on your fiancée. She seems to need you more than I do."

Sasuke's silence only made her hurt inside. Looking at him only brought nostalgia… was making her heart break once more. "If you told me about her in the beginning, I would've broken the engagement right there and then, you know."

"I know," Sasuke replied with a nod.

She didn't hold his answer against him and harbored no grudge. Instead she couldn't help but think, "I wonder why her." She didn't realize that she had spoken the words out loud until it was too late. Before she could retract the statement, Sasuke answered.

"She was there when I needed her the most."

So the two of them had a past together…

A past she couldn't replace.

"Sasuke!"

"Sakura-chan!"

The two turned towards opposite directions where they heard their names being called. As if on cue, Karin and Naruto came towards them. Well, more like Karin was slowly approaching Sasuke while Naruto was running towards Sakura.

Karin stopped midway at seeing Sasuke's ex-fiancée standing near him. Glaring at the ignorant girl, Karin went towards Sasuke and tried to cover her jealousy by giving him a chaste kiss on the lips and linking her hand with his.

Sakura didn't notice the possessive gesture the girl did and greeted Naruto with a warm smile. However, upon sensing an ominous aura behind her, she swung her gaze back towards the couple as they kissed each other. Her blank expression was only a façade and the two's intimacy was still something she couldn't handle. She knew it was time she left. She bid Naruto farewell, telling him that she would meet them at school when Naruto suggested with a grin, "I'll drive you to school."

Two of them stared at him warily while the other gave him a grateful smile.

When Sakura tried to protest, Naruto wouldn't have it. "Since Sasuke has Karin to go to school with, I feel lonely going to school by myself. Want to be my partner Sakura-chan?" Before Sakura could object, Naruto took her hand and dragged her to his car, talking about its cool features and engine along the way.

He hoped that it would bore Sakura to death so much; she wouldn't be able to think about complaining.

* * *

Sakura hesitantly buckled her seat belt, nervous about being inside such a sporty car. Her siblings never broadcasted their wealth to the public and chose to live as normal as possible in courtesy of their mother's influence. They walked to school and being driven in a luxurious car wasn't something she was used to. She fidgeted on the passenger seat anxiously, unsure if she should let Naruto drive her to school.

"Ne, Sakura-chan," Naruto spoke for the first time after they got into the car. "Have you been in a racing car before?"

Sakura's eyes widened. Racing car? She had never even stepped in a racing track in all her life.

Grinning mischievously, Naruto chuckled teasingly, "You're going to love it."

Oh, please Kami-sama no! She still wanted to live!

A phone beeped before Naruto could start the engine. He took his phone out and flipped it open. He just received a text message from Sasuke. It read, -_If you so much as go even a little above the speed limit, I'll have the cops after your ass-_, but Naruto had the feeling that the threat really meant, _If she gets hurt, you're dead._

He was going to enjoy the challenge of making him open up and reveal his true feelings.

"Naruto, I think I should walk," Sakura suggested tensely.

"Relax; you'll get to school faster with me," Naruto said. Igniting the engine, he stepped on the gas and moved the clutch. "We'll be there in five minutes."

_Please someone save me!_ Sakura whimpered. She was going to die during those five minutes.

* * *

She dug her well groomed nails on the passenger seat desperately, trying to hold her breath as Naruto zoomed past the traffic. He was a crazy driver! Oh, why did she agree to get in the car with him! She was such an idiot!

She closed her eyes, hoping the gut wrenching feeling would subside, but it only increased tenfold, making her grit her teeth in anger. When this car gets into a stop sign, she was going to kill him slowly and painfully. Naruto better be ready to have his masculinity wounded because she was going to beat him up in public.

Opening her eyes slowly, she took as much deep breaths as the speed of the car was going to allow. It was the only way she was able to keep her sanity.

Naruto gave no warning when he suddenly stepped on the break in seeing a pedestrian crossing blindly on the road. Because of the outrageous speed the car was going, the breaks made a screeching noise as it tried to desperately come to a stop. Sakura gasped as they came closer and closer towards the pedestrian, a teenage girl, knowing that the girl's fate rested in how good the break of this car was.

Please don't let her be―please don't―!

Everything faded after that.

* * *

After parking the car into a stop in the school's parking lot, Naruto leaned back on his seat, letting out a deep sigh of relief. His recollection of the near fatal incident brought a shaky smile on his trembling form. He figured that he was too close to come to a complete stop that he wouldn't hurt the teenage girl in the process, so he made a sudden swerve to the left instead to save the girl's life and himself from getting a criminal record that would get him disowned for sure.

The fear of going to jail after accidentally killing someone because of reckless driving made Naruto too concerned of his own well-being that he forgot about Sakura's presence inside the car for the rest of the trip to school.

He didn't hear anything from his companion, which only made it easier to forget about her. Recalling Sakura after the adrenaline stopped pumping in his system, Naruto immediately turned towards the passenger seat to see how Sakura was faring. The sight of her unconscious form was enough to make Naruto frantic.

Oh no―Sakura-chan! If something―_anything_ happened to her, Gaara was going to kill him―and that was putting it lightly. With Kankuro and Temari as her older siblings, Naruto knew that they would make his life hell if Sakura-chan got hurt. And don't get him started with Sasuke-teme! Regardless of his stoic attitude, Naruto knew there were "feelings" hidden underneath the block of ice his best friend called his pride, or rather, "Uchiha" pride. Sasuke knew many ways of making Naruto wish he was castrated or beheaded instead, thinking it was more merciful. It was what he dreaded most. Not to mention, Hinata-chan might start to hate him because of this incident. No―he couldn't let that happen.

Wanting to take a closer look, Naruto got out of the car and circled around it to get to the passenger side of the vehicle. Seeing Sakura's unconscious form from a different angle only made Naruto more restless, fearing Sakura's physical and mental state.

He looked around his surroundings nervously to see if anyone was there to witness his dilemma. He didn't know what to do and he needed help desperately. He needed someone to look at his direction. No one. Despite having a brand new sports car that many of the country's inhabitants envied, Naruto still found it hard to earn anyone's attention unless he was being mischievous. It was starting to get frustrating how his best friend was able to turn heads just by passing by while he tried his hardest to be noticed only for him to be frowned upon by adults.

Why didn't anyone look his way? Didn't they care? Who was he kidding? Konoha Institute was an elite prestigious school, and most of its students thought they were better than everyone else, including their fellow classmates. Such snobs! Damn them!

Turning to Sakura once more, Naruto thought of trying to wake her up just in case she was merely sleeping. Hesitantly, he tried to touch her to see how she was but before he could rest his hand on her shoulder, she opened her eyes and looked at him. As a result of the great relief he felt knowing she was still breathing, he failed to notice the mysterious glint her expression held.

Before he could tell her how glad he was that she was alright, Sakura's fist connected with the side of his face. The impact was strong enough that it made him tumble down near the back of the car. Rubbing his cheek with a grimace, he didn't see Sakura as she got out of the car until the sun stopped shinning on him, her figure obscuring the rays from hitting him.

"That's for almost killing two people today."

Naruto tried to hide the fear at seeing the malicious glare Sakura gave him by making a light joke, "I could've died too, Sakura-chan."

"I don't count reckless drivers, who drive like maniacs on the road."

What she meant to say was that better Naruto got himself killed first than running other people over with his crazy driving.

Lifting her closed fist, Sakura waved it around threateningly, "I should hit you again for driving past 70 miles/hour along a city road."

Naruto chose to listen to every single one of Sakura's complaints silently, knowing that he couldn't give her a decent excuse. Plainly speaking, he was guilty and being publicly humiliated by Sakura's loud reprimands was better than being locked behind bars and being disowned by his father.

Little did they know that the commotion they were making was starting to attract the curiosity of their fellow schoolmates; with the people around them starting to wonder what all the fuss was all about.

"You ran a red light, driving faster when the light turned yellow," Sakura snarled, shuddering at the memory. That was the worst five minutes of her life.

It was at that time that a white Toyota FT-HS arrived on the parking area. As Karin and Sasuke came out of the car, they both looked at the direction where Naruto and Sakura were. Hearing Sakura's complaints was enough to fuel Karin's temper. "Now she's trying to get closer to Naruto." The rest of her pejorative remark came out easily, "Geez, she must really be desperate for attention."

"Please don't say such things when you don't even know what you're talking about," Hyuuga Hinata interjected from behind Karin. She was the last person Karin would expect to be told off by.

Aware of Hinata's strong feelings for the blonde, Karin pointed out carefully, "I don't know if you're just a plain, nice person, but the way their relationship's going, she might end up stealing him from you."

"Naruto-kun isn't an object, so I have no control over what he does," Hinata explained with a soft smile, "And Sakura-chan is someone I trust. Please stop making such biased assumptions." Her voice was soft, but Karin knew she was being warned.

Realizing she wasn't going to get anywhere with the meek girl, Karin took Sasuke's hand and suggested, "Let's go to class, Sasuke." Even with her hand interlocked with his, he didn't return the gesture, and that brought back Karin's apprehension. She shook her head to get the negative thoughts out of her brain. Maybe, he didn't hear her. She looked up to his face to repeat her question only to find out that he wasn't paying attention to her.

She swung her gaze to the direction he was looking at and her eyes widened when she saw where―or more precisely, _who_―he was looking at.

Why was he looking at Haruno Sakura?

* * *

The usual morning routine wasn't the same for Sakura that day. Before she could even go inside her first class, the PA system announced the need for her presence inside the office before they even got started on the morning announcements. She came in the office only to have the secretary, Mitarashi Anko, give her a calculating look that made Sakura uneasy. When she was directed inside the principal's office, Sakura couldn't help but feel nervous.

This was the second time she was being called to the principal's office. She knew she had done nothing wrong. Was it because of the physical assault she inflicted on one of the student's yesterday? But that was self defense! Surely, she wouldn't get in trouble for that.

Cautiously, she went inside the directed room only to stop by the door when she saw not only the presence of their principal, Tsunade, but her mother, Haruno Sumire. "Mother," she whispered, barely able to make the word coherent.

"Close the door, Sakura," Tsunade ordered, gesturing for the girl to sit on the chair right in front of her desk that was right beside Sumire's occupied seat. The said girl came and slowly sat down without a word. "It has come to my attention how you are being treated in this school. You may think that your senseis don't care about your social well-being, but they were the ones who told me about what your peers have been doing to you. Kakashi told me everything, Sakura."

Sakura didn't say anything to confirm or deny it. She knew about her situation but there was nothing they could do.

"Which is why I want to transfer you into another school," Sumire said, which made Sakura turn to her abruptly.

"What? Another school…" Sakura thought about it for a while and said, "Why?"

"I'm not going to pretend to be ignorant while you get abused by your shallow minded classmates." Sumire expected Sakura to take the offer with open arms and thank Sumire for her showing that she cared about her; however, Sumire was baffled to see her daughter's perplexed expression. Sumire took a deep breath in concern, "It's for the best, honey."

Sakura leaned back on her chair and tried to think about the situation. It was a great opportunity. If she left this place, she would be able to start in a new environment and meet new friends. Friends… but… she had friends right here. She finally had friends who she wanted to spend time with: laugh and have fun with.

"I'm sorry, mother. I can't go."

If she left now, she wouldn't get the chance to form bonds with them. Naruto, Kiba, Shikamaru and Chouji were very close, but Sakura felt as if she had been friends with them for a long time whenever she was near them. They didn't turn her away. Well, maybe sometimes.

Hinata was one of the people Sakura had felt she wanted to be friends with. They went though arguments and misunderstandings that almost cost them their relationship, but their bond was now stronger than before.

Finally, she had Ino back. Ino Despite how cruel she had been to her, Ino chose to remain her friend, in which Sakura would remain eternally grateful. She wanted to renew their friendship and create new memories that would make up for the time they spent apart.

This was where her true friends were and it would only cause her pain to leave them behind. She couldn't do it.

"If I leave this place now, I'll end up running away again. If I do that, I'll regret it forever. Besides, I have friends now and I want to be with them."

It was their first time to eat lunch together, after all.

* * *

Sakura could never look at her sensei the same way again. She had always thought that Kakashi-sensei was someone who could never keep a punctual record. She had always wondered why he was still allowed to continue teaching with such an attendance. In addition, he would bring a porno and read it in class. What was that called? Icha Icha Paradise―even the title sounded lewd. Sakura had a very low opinion of him in the past. She used to think that he was a useless teacher who only knew how to badly influence his students.

As she stood in front of her homeroom class, she smiled. When she stood in front of this door before, she thought her life had turned for the worst. It was that day when she met Akashi Karin. Now, all she could feel was excitement rushing in. Not only was she relieved that she didn't feel alone anymore, she felt glad that there were now people who was watching out for her.

She opened the door and walked inside the classroom. This time, she was more confident in herself that she could face whatever fate threw at her, since from now on, she knew she had people she could count on.

* * *

Class ended quicker that day, but the same routine persisted: after being taught the lecture, homework was given with the remaining of class given for self studying. Sakura was already done her homework within five minutes and she had already packed most of her things when the bell had finally rung signaling the end of class.

Before she could stand up from her seat, however, she noticed Sai's presence from her peripheral vision. He was standing beside her seat as if he wanted something from her. Standing up while slinging her shoulder bag securely, she faced him silently.

She didn't even notice Karin rushing past her to get to her ex-fiancée, who sat behind her, to get him moving for their next class. All her focus was directed towards Sai who finally spoke to her.

"I want you to go out with me because I want to get to **know** you better."

If Sakura thought no one was watching them before, she now thought otherwise.

All the noise became filtered after he confessed his feelings to the girl in front of him; he noticed the glare Sakura's ex-fiancée gave him. Ah, so he **did** feel something. How odd, but it was too late for the Uchiha to do anything about it. Sai had already gotten the upper hand now that he had announced his feelings for Sakura in public. It was the Uchiha's fault for letting his ex-fiancée slip through his grasp.

His methods may be unfair but he didn't care. He was going to do things differently from now on.

Sakura's reaction, however, was something Sai didn't expect. Before he could even notice what was happening, her hand swung as she slapped him hard on the face.

Most of the students gasped in shock at Sakura's actions. Why did she slap him? He was confessing to her for goodness sakes! That wasn't what someone would do when they were confessed to.

Despite the stinging pain he felt due to the abrupt contact his cheek made with Sakura's palm, Sai smirked in delight. That wasn't what the Sakura he met here would do.

At last, her memories had finally returned.

_**TBC**_

* * *

**A/N:** Sasuke and Naruto's car can be found in my profile if anyone is interested. In my opinion, Sasuke's car is **definitely** cooler. Naruto's car is influenced by my cousin's none stop talk about raising money to buy one in the future. He even asked money as a birthday present for his _car_ fund.

Many people might skin my hide if I don't explain this, but the reason Naruto got a Moped for his birthday was because he's a young sixteen year old boy, and in Japan, they are only allowed to drive Mopeds and small cars that goes maximum 15 miles/hour. That's exactly the reason why he bought himself a nice, brand new car to show off. The reason why Sasuke has such a cool car is because plain and simple―he's an Uchiha.

Sakura's group had multiplied, and yes, she isn't moving. It would cause too much drama and I'm trying to finish this story as quickly as I can. Don't get me wrong, there's still much to cover. I'm not quite there yet, but at least Sakura remembers now. I'm thinking that the highlight of this chapter is Itachi, and the rest is a whole lot of transition. Hopefully it was entertaining enough that you guys wouldn't yell at me for prolonging the Sasuke and Sakura interaction.

I know, there wasn't any interaction with Sakura and Sasuke, but read the preview, you'll like it!

**

* * *

Chapter 25―Memories**

"I found you."

Sakura stiffened in his arms. If only he wasn't sick, she would've pushed him away without a second thought. She didn't want to be told that when he was definitely mistaking her for someone else. She was starting to regret coming here to see how he was. If only he didn't constantly consume her thoughts, she would already be in class interacting with her friends.

_No, I'm not Karin―damn it!_ she thought with disdain.

"I found you," Sasuke repeated in a jagged whisper, "Sakura."

Sakura went still. Wait―what? Did he just say her name? That didn't make sense. Karin was his fiancée and the one he―

"I won't leave you again, Sakura."

**

* * *

Updated: **June 10, 2010


	25. Memories Part 1

**Engagement On Hold**

**Summary:** (AU) Uchiha Sasuke is Konoha High's reigning prince. Haruno Sakura is…? Who is she again? What happens when the guy everybody knows finds himself engaged to the girl nobody knows?

**Genre:** Romance/Humor/Drama

**Pairings:** Sasuke/Sakura, Naruto/Hinata, Shikamaru/Temari

**Author:** pei-chan

**Disclaimer:** Wouldn't it be nice if Sasuke and Sakura were really engaged in the Naruto series? Then again, that would only occur in our dreams… ne?

**A/N:** Ah, yes, the irresponsible author has finally updated. Well, since it _is_ summer here right now, so I had camping and other trips to go to. Adding some personal and family issues that affected my jobs didn't help me in producing this chapter.

The question about Itachi's future, whether he would live in the end, is something I'm not sure how to answer. I don't want to give too much away so I'll only say this: Itachi is a perfectly healthy individual capable of taking care of himself. He serves a great importance in this story and killing him off defeats the purpose of having him here in the first place.

I would like to thank my reviewers who took the time to review the last chapter. I love speculative reviews and the constructive criticisms. Not only does it tell me that I made a mistake in my wording somewhere, which I tend to do a lot, but it also makes me excited to post a new chapter up.

**Infirmary Scene - Edited**

* * *

**Chapter 25―Memories Part 1**

When she was told that her father's plane had crashed, her entire world crumbled. Her grandmother, who had been very strict towards her father, asked for her the next day to tell her that she was going to be living with her mother from then on.

Living with only her father and his mother and grandmother, Sakura never felt close to her mother and siblings. Sure, her father made certain that they would visit her mother's house, but being in the business world took an exceedingly large amount of time. If they were fortunate enough, they would have an opportunity to spend New Year's and Christmas together. The most she would see of them was during parties they attended together, but that didn't make up for the absence of any intimacy and rift created within a family because of living separately. Sakura was never able to treat them like her own siblings. She just didn't know how.

The closeness of the Sabakus didn't help either. It just made her want to distance herself more.

* * *

Her new school wasn't so welcoming either. Transferring in a private school in the middle of the year gave minimal chances of obtaining friends since most people had already formed their little, tight groups. In addition, most of these groups didn't sit well with newcomers in their circles.

It had been a week, and Sakura was greatly tempted to start skipping school. It was hard to remain stuck in a school, where she was isolated and secluded by her own classmates. Some did welcome her, yes, but no one really wanted her in their crowd.

Sakura told herself that it was fine. This was what she wanted anyway. She wanted to be left alone, and she should be glad that her classmates were ignorantly obliging her wishes.

It was only when Yamanaka Ino befriended her that Sakura was finally able to realize how lonely she felt before. Ino was able to make her smile again and enjoy her life in school. Despite the awkward atmosphere she felt at her house, she was able to forget about that when she was with Ino.

In time, she became acquainted with the people who hung around Ino. One of them was Watanabe Ami, an attention seeker. She adored being under the spotlight. Sakura didn't notice it until later, but the main reason Ami stuck to Ino like glue was because Ino was the most popular girl in school, considering Ino's side job as a model.

Ami was nice to Sakura since she only saw her when Ino was around, so she thought nothing of it. Hanging out with Ino (and Ami) gave her time to heal and try to let go of all the negative thoughts and emotions inside of her.

Despite the friendship she had with Ino, Sakura would still occasionally feel left out whenever Ami would try to hog the conversation and deliberately isolate her from it. Even as she realized Ami's preference to have _only_ Ino as her companion, Sakura chose to forget about her feelings of finding another group to associate with. She liked Ino, and as long as she wasn't turning her away, Sakura was willing to deal with Ami.

It was during the beginning of the next school year that Arisugaki Sai transferred to their school.

* * *

The moment he walked inside the classroom, she couldn't help but stare at him. It happened in an instant. She couldn't remember the reason – if there was any – but before she knew what was happening, she became attracted to him.

It took a huge amount of effort on her part to finally walk up to him and initiate a conversation. She tried to imagine how Ino would talk to the people around her so confidently that Sakura always admired. She wanted to have the ability to carry herself with the same poise that Ino showed.

However, before she could even form the words, he gave her a piercing stare that almost brought her into a state of nervous breakdown.

She had imagined this scenario a dozen times the night before, how she would show him a cool, attractive girl he could fall for. It was then that she noticed his drawing, and everything else became a blur from then on.

All she could remember was that it became a pleasant conversation and despite his evasiveness, she started to feel more at ease around his presence.

But the main thing she did remember about that moment was that she was able to request one piece from him that was still pending even after two years.

Over time, their small talks became less awkward and they started to hang out more than she realized.

"Sai!"

Sakura didn't even notice that Sai wasn't alone until she saw a girl in front of him as he turned around to acknowledge her greeting.

Unaware of what she interrupted, Sakura slowly walked towards the couple. After Sai muttered an incoherent statement to the girl, Sakura saw the girl scoff in annoyance and leave but not before giving Sakura a surreptitious glare. Due to her gullibility, Sakura could only give a puzzled glance, not fully grasping the meaning of the girl's reaction.

What did she do? What were they doing anyway?

Seeing her distress, Sai brought her attention back to him by calling her name. "I was wondering when you were going to come and bother me."

A reddish tint colored her cheeks and she turned away with a huff.

Intrigued by her response, Sai couldn't help but ask when he saw her mumble something under her breath, "What was that?"

"Nothing," Sakura muttered evasively. _You're an arrogant ass. My life doesn't revolve around you_, she thought with a growl.

"Why are you here then?"

"Well…" Sakura said uncertainly, "I wanted to ask you…"

"Despite the teachers' feigning ignorance about the cheating that highly occurs in this school, I wouldn't blame them. At least eighty percent of the student body cheats and catching them in one go is close to impossible.

"The food in the cafeteria would always be bland. You know that they're trying to suck our parents' money dry while giving us cheap food when they are able.

"And no―I'm not telling you what high school I'm going to." He knew she would be fuming in irritation by the time he was finished. Seeing her shaking in anger only made him chuckle in amusement.

This jerk! He deliberately mentioned all of the conversations she would whip up in the past to try and talk to him. She knew where he was getting at. He was deliberately ending their discussion―before she even got a chance to start. "Actually, no," she said slowly as she tried to beat down her aggravation into submission, "I wanted to know if you had a partner for the upcoming trip next week."

Sai didn't tease her anymore, but he remained silent for a while. When he finally gave her the same evasive reply, she didn't pry, knowing she wasn't going to get anywhere by doing so. "I already have someone to work with," he answered, trying to sound as apologetic as possible.

It was after that conversation that Sai became more distant to her than before.

She wasn't even aware of his knowledge of her feelings until later on. She didn't think much about her infatuation with Sai despite his popularity. She thought that the people around her would only think she was being friendly to him since he was a new student, but she didn't realize that he treated her differently than their other classmates.

It was only when Ami approached her one day and asked her if she was going out with Sai that alarmed her, and made her wonder if Sai, himself, knew about her feelings for him as well. She denied Ami's pressing question, secretively wishing it was somewhat true.

It wasn't long after that that Ino find out about Sakura's feelings for Sai. Knowing Sakura's ignorance about the mater, Ami took delight in telling Ino about it while revealing the blonde's infatuation towards the new student in front of Sakura.

In a state of consternation, Sakura didn't reply to that revelation. She had been talking to Ino about Sai since the beginning. Why didn't Ino say anything? Why didn't she tell her about it?

Regardless of the awkward and increasingly dense atmosphere they were in, Ino was able to come up with a solution.

S.A.I. That was the group that was formed that day―the official Sai fan club.

Thinking that the problem was solved, Sakura chose to forget about the issue. She didn't know that her selfish action was going to hurt Ino little by little, until Ino abruptly went overseas to further her career.

Sakura thought nothing was wrong until Ino left the country to broaden her career without so much as a warning. She felt betrayed and hurt. Weren't they best friends? Why did Ino leave? Furthermore, why didn't Ino tell her?

Ino was gone and Sakura thought she had no one else to turn to. Oddly enough, Ami didn't turn Sakura away, but she even included her in her own inner circle. Not only were they much different, but most of them followed Ami like a plague. Sakura figured that Ami wanted her to be the same as her other synchronized puppets.

That was part of the reason why she would always stay behind at school way after school hours. She used to go to Ino's house until late at night ever since they became close friends, and with her best friend gone, school was the only place left that she could sit comfortably and think. It was to be expected with her current detachment to her own _house_.

She pondered about Ino's departure within the empty classroom while looking at the unfinished letter. She didn't even hear Sai come in until he called her name, and included a snide comment that made her forget about her dilemma.

"You love school that much that you're still sitting on your seat three hours after school has ended."

Embarrassed that she was caught in such a vulnerable state, she turned away with a blush. "Why are you here?" she managed to ask, fighting down the nervousness she felt around his presence.

His gaze trailed towards the sheet of paper on the desk, and to her relief, he refrained from making a comment about it. Instead, he wordlessly sat on the chair in front of her desk.

Not used to tense silences, Sakura couldn't help but fill it by asking on an impulse, "Do you have a girlfriend?"

Her anxiousness increased tenfold when she saw his guarded glance, but she chose to wait for his reply, regardless of the dread inside her as she waited to find out the truth.

He remained as evasive as always. "I might," he answered noncommittally, looking distantly outside the window.

Sakura took the time to admire his facial features, knowing that she wouldn't get another chance to openly see it as close as she did now, with it being framed by the sunset's light. Realizing that he would notice her gawking at him if she didn't stop, she averted her eyes towards the letter on her desk and voiced out her observation, "It should only be a matter of time with all those girls flocking around you. Then again, it still looks impossible with how closed up you are."

"Why do you say that?" he asked out of curiosity, slightly wondering how she was going to respond.

"Even when many people surround you, you remain distant from them. Whenever you smile at them, I have a feeling that it's not natural. It's like you're afraid of opening up to other people." She doodled on the edge of the paper trying to appear calm. "Other people might think you have lots of friends, but in my mind, you don't have anyone, do you?"

She didn't see a change in his expression, nor did he turn to acknowledge hearing her statement. But she knew he heard her. He was just being his usual stubborn, closed self.

On a whim, she made a choice, "From this day onward, I'll be your friend."

Friend? "You want to be friends with me," he chuckled sardonically, making Sakura frown in confusion. "You like me, don't you?"

How did he―? No―of course he knew. She was an amateur at lying. It shouldn't be a shock that he knew about her feelings for him long before. "I do," she managed to admit, making it an excuse to get closer to him, "That's why I want to be your friend."

"What makes you think I want _you_ to be my friend?" He wasn't being sarcastic, but there was something beneath his frankness, a vulnerability she couldn't identify.

What was he looking for… reassurance? What was she supposed to tell him?

It was then that she remembered her unfinished letter, and a rush of bittersweet and fond memories flooded her thoughts. The uncertainty she had in giving Sai an answer vanished as the tide of memories illuminated her consciousness granting her an epiphany. She found the answer she was looking for.

Before she could reply, Sai was able to read the meaning of her question. "This is about Yamanaka Ino, isn't it? The main reason why you want to be friends with me is because she left you, am I correct?"

Odd. She never thought of it that way. Was that her reason? Did Ino's departure affect her that much?

"I don't care how desperate you are, I don't want to be used by someone who's only trying to quench their loneliness." He stood up from his seat and walked away from her.

Sakura never expected to get used to Sai's attitude. She had hoped that in time, listening to his blunt and frank remarks wouldn't be as painful as before. Without a doubt, he really knew the right words that would cause the most impact.

She was lonely, huh? Hm… maybe she was. Ino was her only real friend in this school, and now that she was gone, school became dull and exhausting.

But, this wasn't about her relationship with Ino.

This was about _them_.

"Ino's a great friend." How she managed to confess without so much as a quiver in her voice was beyond her understanding at that moment. "But I want to _be_ yours."

Maybe, she _was_ a little bit desperate.

* * *

Their friendship didn't last. After witnessing a display of intimacy between Sai and an unknown girl, she came to the conclusion that Sai did have a girlfriend. She thought of giving up on him completely, realizing that Sai would never see her as a romantic interest.

She decided to ask him about it when they met after school. She figured that she might as well be sure so that she could finally give up on him. Their conversation ended up in disaster.

Seeing him making out with one girl was one thing, but walking in on him kissing another girl infuriated her. Her frustration of not understanding what was going on changed her perspective of Sai. Here she thought she could get him to open up to her as his friend, only to be played like a fool. He had no intention of opening up to her in the first place, and he manipulated her into thinking otherwise.

Her temper didn't help their conversation at all. The presence of another one of his lady friends didn't ease her boiling rage. Adding more to the dilemma, Sai's companion was one of her classmates. She didn't remember her name, but Sakura still recognized the dull geeky style the girl had.

Oh, that's just great! So anyone else would do except for her!

Marching towards the unsuspecting pair, Sakura didn't suppress her anger nor did she wait for them to notice her presence as she demanded in a low tone, "I need to talk to you."

Sai didn't even give her a glance as he replied, "I'm busy right now. I'll talk to you later."

Being ignored and rejected right in front of an audience didn't serve well to cool her temper. That was all it took to finally make her snap. "I know you have such a scintillating lifestyle. When it comes to women, you need a new one each week. Even if there are more than hundreds of women in this school, most of those are still little girls obsessed about dolls and dress up. Cutting back every now and then, even for just one day won't kill you," she finished, glaring at the girl who gaped in shock at her statement.

The girl tried to tell her something, but it became an incoherent murmur when Sai cut her off with a stern command. "Go back to class, Tsubasa. We'll talk later."

Sakura didn't even see Tsubasa nod but only remained focused on Sai, who was waiting until Tsubasa was out of the earshot. She thought he would at least give her an explanation for his actions once Tsubasa was gone, but no, he didn't say a single word as he continued to regard her in silence. It made her wonder why, and what he was thinking. The quiet stillness around them did help calm her down, stopping the palpitations her heart made. "Why aren't you saying anything?" Sakura finally asked, dejected at his lack of care about the matter.

It was like her opinion―no, it was _her_ that didn't matter at all.

"What is there left to say? What I've been doing wasn't a secret anyway. You were just too ignorant to notice."

How about an explanation? Didn't she deserve that at least? "What I know doesn't help me understand." She shook her head in confusion. "Why are you behaving this way?"

"Behaving?" Sai chuckled at the verb as if it was an inaccurate description of his actions. "It's not about my behaviour, but everyone else's."

Sakura frowned, becoming more baffled than before.

"Don't look at me like that. You of all people should know about it. After all, don't you harbor romantic feelings for me as well?"

It was a fact Sakura tried to run away from many times, but continued to fail. Even when she tried to convince herself when she was finally able to obtain the title of friendship between them, it was futile. Her feelings merely grew. She wanted to be closer to him, closer than anyone had ever been before.

"I have always wondered how long it would take before you would finally give up the 'friendship' façade. It doesn't become you, being my friend. Seeing you trying so hard is too much even for me to bear."

Something snapped inside of her when he said that direct―not to mention cruel―statement. She didn't even hear him coming towards her until she felt the coldness of his fingertips tilting her chin up to meet his icy stare, reflecting a feigned sympathetic gaze.

"If I give you what you want, will you finally be satisfied and leave me alone," he whispered huskily, lowering his lips towards hers.

It took an excessive amount of effort to deny her inner self the pleasure of kissing Sai, but she triumphed in the end. Before he could seal their lips together, she was able to pull herself away and slap him with all the force she could muster.

* * *

It was funny how ironic their situation was. The simple impetuous action made her remember her memories about Sai in a flash. Who would've thought that she would relive that moment once again in front of him?

She let out the breath she was holding at the dumbfounded silence that ensued. Casting him a furious glare, she said in a deadly voice, "You know you deserve that."

"Oh," he continued to smile humorously, "why is that?"

"I'll hit you harder next time if you try that approach again," Sakura threatened. "I don't like that joke."

"You can't deny that you liked it," Sai chided.

Sakura flushed, momentarily losing her composure. Turning away in a futile attempt to hide her embarrassment, she refuted strongly, "I did not!"

The blush on her cheeks wasn't missed by her ex-fiancée, however, as his eyes twitched into a subtle glare.

Kiba meanwhile rolled his eyes in annoyance. It was going to be another repeat of the past few days. Didn't anyone cherish _privacy_ anymore? _Here we go again._

"Besides, who said it was a joke?" Sai asked, the smile dying from his features. "You shouldn't make such rash assumptions."

For a moment, Sakura was starting to believe Sai was serious, but her past experience of being in his company prevented her from letting go of her doubts. "What are you planning Sai?"

"What makes you think I'm planning something?" Sai asked back, avoiding the question completely.

"You're always planning something," Sakura countered frankly. "You're selfish and you only do things that benefit you, and no other."

The entire class didn't know whether they were watching a live drama or some comedy show (because of Sakura's odd reaction). Some didn't even know what was going on, but stayed anyway to see how the situation would unfold.

"You've become more outspoken than before," Sai pointed out.

"I've had practice," Sakura easily shot back. "It took awhile, but I managed."

It was clear that teasing Sakura further wasn't working in his favor, so he decided to use another approach. "Oh well, I knew you would react this way," Sai shrugged carelessly. "It doesn't matter what you think though since I've already decided not to make the same mistake two years ago."

Hinata's ears perked attentively. The way her best friend was acting would cause most people to wonder what the heck was going on, but Hinata caught up on the turnabout of Sakura's actions towards Sai. They were more familiar with each other, but Hinata wasn't certain of when it happened. Though, the mystery of their relationship was enough to make her curious to continue watching them.

Sakura remained impassive to his tactics. She didn't want to be caught off guard like before. She ignored the sudden change in his expression, thinking that he was trying to manipulate her once again.

"You're right that I'm doing this for my own benefit, but that's only because I want you back beside me."

That… was something she didn't expect. Sakura was left speechless, moved by his words. Did he want to renew the close relationship they had two years ago? Before she could get too fond of the idea, she mentally shook her head. No, she had to remember how Sai operated. She couldn't fall for his trap again. "For a moment there, I almost believed you," she chuckled, "Almost."

Sai took a step towards her, but before he could say anything, someone swiftly walked right in between them, cutting their conversation short.

Sakura was too stunned to speak and looked at the culprit―her ex-fiancée―in shock. Why did he―?

"You really do crave attention, don't you?" Sasuke asked flatly.

Karin secretively smiled, relieved not only because of Sasuke's interference but also because of their similar opinion about Sakura. She was glad that he thought so as well. She wanted to add a couple of her own thoughts to support Sasuke's view, but was left in the sidelines when Sakura quickly retorted.

"I do not!" Sakura was starting to become annoyed with the lot of them. Why was everyone against her today?

"Why are you always performing in front of an audience then? Did your invisible life have the opposite effect in planting the desire to be under the spotlight?"

Sakura flushed in anger. How could she forget about her ex-fiancée? He was someone who had a similar character to Sai. Really, she couldn't fathom why she was always attracted to such complicated and arrogant pricks! Why couldn't her life be easier? Why couldn't she just live a common life and fall in love with a common guy? Why, oh, why was she blessed with such taste in men! Falling in love with Naruto would have been better―no, wait, scratch that―that was definitely not advisable since he was technically already taken.

Fate was cruel to her for making her fall in love with Sasuke. Was there a reason why she fell in love with him of all people?

"This is definitely circumstantial!" she protested angrily, offended by his allegations.

"Then go to class. You'll be late if you keep going through your aimless conversation."

Sasuke didn't wait to hear Sakura retaliate and walked away. As soon as Karin noticed her fiancée leaving the classroom, she scurried after him so that she wouldn't get left behind. Her other attempt to intimidate Sakura with a glare was left unnoticed once more when Sakura looked away from Sasuke's retreating figure.

Naruto watched the scene conclude with a delighted grin. It would seem that he was the only one who thought of the event extremely entertaining, but he had his reasons. At long last, Naruto was starting to understand his best friend again. Sasuke's actions clearly spoke of jealousy. Finally, he had waited long enough.

Sakura couldn't have hidden her annoyance even if she tried. She had already warned her ex-fiancée not to meddle with her affairs, but still he persisted. That idiot! Did he really enjoy having someone hanging onto him? She hated it. She hated this feeling of false hope.

Sai never thought the Uchiha would interfere. Well, wasn't he just arrogant? Sai had to admit that he was trying to provoke the Uchiha, but he didn't expect him to do anything in front of their classmates. Sai wasn't amused. Uchiha Sasuke had lingering feelings for his ex-fiancée and his interference was proof enough for a warning. Then again, that wasn't going to stop him.

Petty little interruptions weren't going to make him cease pursuing Sakura. If Uchiha Sasuke wanted to get Sakura away from him, he just had to get in the same playing field, which wasn't bound to happen anytime soon if he continued with his uncaring façade.

* * *

Maybe some days were just more eventful than others. As Hinata approached their destined table at lunch, the sound of Kiba's loud voice echoed through the room, making everyone unconsciously turn in that direction as they tried to decipher what was going on. Hinata moved forward, understanding more of the situation when she came closer.

"Oh, that's just great! Next time, just invite everyone in the school to sit with you one day at a time if you feel so lonely," Kiba insulted Naruto sardonically, as he leaned back on his chair.

"Shut up!" Naruto retorted irritably, "there's nothing I can do about it."

"What I don't get is why you have to invite _him_ of all people," Kiba ranted on, ignoring Naruto's previous remark.

Shikamaru rolled his eyes with a sigh, "Let go of it already, Kiba. There's nothing you can do if all you're doing is complaining."

"I understand why you invited Sasuke before, but that guy just creeps me out," Kiba continued with a grimace.

Chouji nodded mutely. He couldn't have agreed more.

"Come on guys," Naruto said, trying to ease his friends' concerns, "I'm telling you―he's not bad."

"I'm sure it took longer for you to convince him than yourself of that, considering the way he treated you when you first met," Shikamaru bluntly added, recalling the time when Naruto trembled in fear when he tried to initiate a conversation with their new 'lunch buddy' during the start of their first year in high school.

Hinata used this time to reveal her presence in their vicinity by asking what they were talking about. She stifled a giggle when she got the anticipated mixed reactions she was expecting.

She was already familiar with the past that Sakura and Ino shared together, but seeing them walking together in the lunch room made her heart twinge in despair. Even though she reasoned with herself that it was merely a coincidence that they came in the room together, she couldn't erase this increasing jealousy. Hunching in her seat uncomfortably, she didn't notice Kiba's worried glance.

She couldn't pay attention to any of the details that happened before until Sakura and Ino took a seat right across from each other. In a way, Hinata felt relieved and glad that Sakura still sat right beside her. Regardless of how small the gesture might have been, to Hinata, it was enough to ease her doubts.

It was only moments later when a newcomer sat right beside Sakura's seat, silencing the entire table.

Ino swiftly turned towards Shikamaru with a perplexed stare, silently asking him to explain himself.

Shikamaru immediately looked away with a sigh, but he knew of Ino's tendency of being persistent so he gestured towards Naruto's direction, revealing him to be the culprit.

Ino's demanding glare was ignored by Naruto as he tried to cower in his seat, hoping he could hide from Sakura. He didn't want to deal with pressing questions at the moment.

Sakura remained oblivious towards the rest of the table's reaction. As she continued to stare blatantly at her new seatmate unperturbed, she eventually asked in bewilderment, "What are you doing here, Gaara-niichan?"

"Eating," was Gaara's quick reply.

Here he goes again. What was it with these one word replies? That wasn't any help at all. "Why?" Sakura asked, copying her brother's methods. The urge to make him taste his own medicine sounded too pleasurable to resist.

"Because you're sitting here," Gaara explained.

Well, at least they were making progress. She actually got a small explanation from him this time―even if it didn't really explain his purpose for sitting with them.

Before she could ask another question that would pester him for a plausible answer, she heard Naruto yelp in pain. When she looked to see if he was alright, no one said a word. She only saw Hinata gazing at Naruto worriedly while Ino glared at him furiously. The rest of the guys didn't show any intense emotions, most she didn't bother to identify, but she did see Kiba roll his eyes. Deciding that the situation didn't need to be taken into account, she gave her brother her full attention once more.

Gaara looked at Sakura's scrutinizing gaze, listening to her question him about his presence beside her. He couldn't blame her for asking. He always gave her the impression of being a loner, after all. Most of all, he never treated her like how a brother should treat his younger sister. His attitude towards her in the past was selfish and cruel.

"_Your mother doesn't want you."_

_Gaara merely took in the insult with an uncaring façade._

_That's right…_

"_Pretty soon, she'll leave you behind so she can live with her husband."_

_So that was the reason why his mother was always sad…_

"_Nobody wants you."_

_He was taking away her happiness._

"_That's not true!"_

_He remembered how a little girl appeared and stepped in front of him and fended the bullies off._

"_You have no right to say such things!"_

_Gaara was too shocked to back up the girl as she defended him courageously._

"_Who're you?"_

"_How dare you butt in!"_

_The argument became messier and the girl ended up with a small bruise on her cheek. Turning to him with a kind smile, she asked him if he was alright._

_He looked away bashfully and asked her why she interfered. He felt like he didn't deserve it._

"_You know, my best friend told me that there is always someone out there who will cherish you!"_

"_Really?" Gaara's eyes lit up hopefully._

_With a cheerful nod, she proclaimed, "I'll be your friend―how about it? My name's Haruno Sakura."_

_That was the first time he met his younger sister. He didn't know it was her at the time but everything changed when he did._

_When they met officially as siblings for the first time, he couldn't contain his anger and blurted out with a yell, "It's all because of you that our family can't live normally! Get out―nobody wants you here!"_

_It was easier to blame her for everything that happened to him. She became an outlet for his anger towards his situation. He didn't regret his decision despite being slapped and severely reprimanded by his mother after his little sister had already left. He was even against her living with them and even mocked her one day, "Too bad for you. Now you're stuck in a family that doesn't want you."_

_His offensive remark achieved its purpose. Sakura rarely came home after that, and if she did, she would come home early in the morning, as if she was trying to avoid seeing them as much as possible._

_It was only after she protected him unexpectedly did he hesitate from being blatantly rude to her. He didn't know what her intention was until she looked at him sadly, with a small wet trail on her cheek because of her tears. "Can I go home with you?"_

_That was the first time he witnessed a vulnerable side of her. For the first time, he started to have mixed feelings about the situation and didn't know what to do. In the end, his selfish and cowardly side won over and he walked away from her without a word._

_He never looked back._

He made a vow to make up for what he had done in the past. He had walked away from her once already. He wouldn't abandon her again when she needed him the most.

After putting their quarrel about Gaara's presence to rest, the table started eating their respectable lunches. As the tense air lifted around them, the table's occupants calmed down and eventually conversed with one another. With Naruto and Kiba's typical petty disputes, Hinata's unsuccessful attempts to stop them, Shikamaru and Chouji ignoring them by talking about their own thing with Ino interrupting them with her own side comments, Gaara averted his gaze to Sakura's opened lunch box and took notice of the small prepared meal in the container. He snatched the uneaten food and brought it out of Sakura's reach.

Sakura could only gape in shock, outraged that her food was taken away from her before she could even touch it.

"Who made this?" he asked gravely.

Irked that her meal was going to be criticized, Sakura claimed challengingly, "I did, why?" She was about to tell him to give her lunch box back, when he stopped a passing boy and dropped the lunch box swiftly in his hands.

"Get rid of it," he ordered the boy with a sharp glare, leaving the boy too stupefied to argue and just did what he was told without a word.

Sakura gasped, horrified. After watching her lunch being thrown to the garbage by the boy―possibly too scared with her brother to bicker―she stood up and glared at her brother, her eyes glinting furiously. "Why did you that for?"

Ignoring her protest, Gaara took out his bento box and pushed it in front of her. "Besides the fact that you can't cook a decent meal, your choice of food is not only unhealthy but inadequate." He opened it to reveal its contents. "You're eating this," he said conclusively.

Sakura's anger was replaced by awe as she stared at the large lunch box filled with many scrumptious varieties of foods. There were syrup-coated anko dumplings, umeboshi, and anmitsu with a side dish of salad mixed with quail eggs, lettuce, bacon, cheese, and grilled cheese, all neatly decorated and presented beautifully inside the box. Plopping down inelegantly on her seat, she gawked at the food with a gulp. Damn it, she was starting to salivate. All of these… were her favorites.

"I asked the cook to make more for you," Gaara said, referring to the syrup-coated anko dumplings that he repeatedly requested the night before. He absorbed her reaction with great satisfaction.

"Ne," Sakura said after a while, "can I have all of it?"

"What?"

"I take all the dumplings," Sakura announced firmly. "You take the salad."

"No," Gaara said forbiddingly.

It didn't matter though.

He knew she was going to eat it all anyway. Well, he wouldn't blame her. She had a clear idea what he was doing anyway, and she gladly took the bait with a smile.

The cool and subtle, yet caring brother was what she loved most, and it was at these moments when it felt that everything was shining its brightest.

* * *

As the two of them waited for their friends to arrive at the front school grounds, Hinata silently pondered about the future while maintaining an elegant posture. Soon, she wouldn't be able to go home with them like this anymore. With a karate competition coming up, she would have to take practices seriously, so that she would be able to get back into her father's good graces.

"Hinata," Kiba called out casually after a few moments had passed.

Turning to her only companion at the moment, Hinata reflexively placed a smile.

"I saw you during lunch time. What happened?"

He saw that? Oh no… what if… "D-did Sakura-chan―?"

"No, she didn't," he replied before she could voice out her fears.

Hinata sighed in relief. Thank goodness. If Sakura found out, Hinata wouldn't know what to do. She felt ashamed in feeling jealous.

"Why _are_ you sad, Hinata?"

Touched by his concern, Hinata turned away bashfully. She felt hesitant to disclose the feelings that made her feel vulnerable and weak―even to one of her friends. "But… but-I…"

Usually in these type of situations, it would be advisable to leave the person be and not force them to reveal their problems. Kiba wasn't the average type of person. He would persuade her, one way or another. "If you don't get it sorted out now, other people will start to notice―like Sakura."

After all, this was Hinata and he couldn't bear to see her sad.

"I-I'm jealous of Ino-san and Sakura-chan's relationship," Hinata admitted meekly. "I know that I shouldn't, b-but I c-can't help but―"

"What's wrong with it?" Kiba asked, peering at her intently. "What's wrong with being jealous?" The sudden change in Kiba's expression stopped Hinata from responding. She didn't understand, but that simple statement… moved her somehow. Why was that? What was Kiba trying to say?

_What is it you're trying to tell me, Kiba-kun?_

* * *

"Your brother came by at lunch today."

Temari looked up from her work with an intrigued smile, "Oh? What exactly did he come there for?"

They were in class for another tutoring session. Apparently, Temari had another calculus exam coming up and she needed quick tips on how to solve a difficult and long quadratic formula. Despite his hesitation, Shikamaru couldn't bring himself to say no to the woman―not when she had _that_ as leverage.

After retelling the event during lunch, Temari's eyes lit up in enthusiasm, "Gaara's growing up."

So, she was one of those doting sisters.

"Gaara's finally showing his gentle side," Temari continued with an excited smile, "he can finally get himself a girlfriend. Good for him."

Girlfriend? "Are you selling out your brother?"

Temari was taken aback by his term. "Of course not," she denied easily, "It's just that men are usually the ones who enters into a relationship first."

"Not always," Shikamaru corrected. "It just tends to happen that way, but there are still times when women jump into the relationship headfirst."

"Is that from experience?" Temari teased, but she didn't expect him to take it so seriously, looking distantly out of the window as he said nothing… a touchy subject perhaps? She didn't like the change of atmosphere. Serious silences like these were suffocating. Determined to bring the cool mood back, Temari decided to tell a surprise: "Your mother invited me to your house this weekend."

Shikamaru's eyes bulged out of its sockets and he stared at her in annoyance. "And she didn't tell me?"

"She wanted it to be a surprise," was Temari's smug reply.

Well, there was no way he was staying home then.

As if she read his mind, Temari stopped his thoughts from completely formulating a plan by saying, "And before you even think about skipping, your mother told me that she would start the production of the film starring you, if you don't attend."

That was just what he was trying to avoid. He disliked his mother for being so meddlesome. She knew what he hated the most and was shameless enough to slap it on his face if it would be to her advantage. He could never get around her. Maybe that was how he started disliking women in general.

And now that his mother and Temari were acquainted, his situation only became worse. As the two women got closer throughout the past few months, the more his dread increased. Why did his mother have to get closer to _Temari_ of all people?

Ever since the two of them had met at his home during one of their tutoring sessions, the two had hit it off and became fast friends. He had hoped that the similarity between the two women would end there. Seeing Temari threaten him yesterday by dialing his mother's number so that he would tell her about Naruto, Shiho and his presence in the AV room made him think that, yes―it could get worse.

And it just did.

Now, Temari was being invited to family dinners as if she was his girlfriend. That was definitely _not_ what he had in mind.

Why did the women in his life create so much trouble for him?

"Oh, and she told me that you're going to pick me up."

When was it going to end?

Desperate to change the topic, Shikamaru asked, "What _exactly_ is the main reason you want your brothers to get a girlfriend?"

Temari didn't seem to mind having the topic altered so suddenly. She blinked in surprise, but then smiled in a few moments and said, "So that they won't go ballistic when _I _get into a relationship. Brothers can make such a fuss when they find out their sisters have another man in their lives."

Shikamaru had to restrain himself from replying. _And _**you **_would know this, how? _The woman had practically no prior engagements in the past.

How the hell would she know how her siblings would act?

* * *

Gin Tekīra was one of the most prestigious bars around the city. With their top rate service and special unique drinks, the bar would be usually filled with wealthy individuals, mostly young businessmen, using the place as their relaxing haven after overworking during the day.

Wealthy teenagers (both underage and of age drinking age) also lingered often, with most of them going to the bar to increase their image in high society. Well, most just wanted to look cool in the eyes of their peers. Its attraction didn't go unnoticed by normal citizens that dreamed of being a regular costumer at Gin Tekīra.

As popular and successful Gin Tekīra was among elite society, some regular citizens tried to use the place in order to carve a niche for themselves by earning the favors of the wealthy customers, be it employees or other customers. It was because of that that the owner created an ironclad rule forbidding employees from being involved with the bar's customers. The ones who defied this rule were immediately dealt with.

Ino strode into the bar, carefully looking around the place for a certain individual. She had never been inside Gin Tekīra before because of her popularity with the general population. It wasn't really her type of place to hang out in, but she merely came here to find a certain individual.

Walking elegantly around the bar, she blithely ignored the leering and gawking eyes the men around sent her way as soon as she walked in and tried to find who she was searching for. When she finally spotted her target sitting at the other side of the bar, she expertly wound her way around the bar patrons and sashayed her way to her destination, ignoring people initiating conversation with her along the way.

Taking the scene in front of her, Ino sighed and shook her head in disappointment. The sight was definitely something she never expected. So… even prodigy's had their own ups and downs too, huh?

"Sasuke," she called, stopping the Uchiha from taking another drink midway.

He let out a shaky breath, and uncaringly turned to her. "Why are you here?"

Ignoring his snippy attitude, Ino inspected him carefully. "You're a mess."

"Shut up―no one asked you to come here!"

Smiling at his contradicting statement, Ino said, "It's a good thing I did too. I don't usually respond to late messages, but since you've never messaged me before, I figured it might actually be important." She paused, waiting until he finished taking another shot. He wasn't taking her seriously. "I came to see if you're alright."

"Now that you've achieved your goal, I suggest you leave. I don't need you here."

He was snappier than usual. Was he drunk? Then again, she wouldn't know since this was the first time Ino had been with Sasuke while he was drinking. She didn't even think that he was into these kinds of stuff. "Tell me, if you didn't want _me_ to come here, why did you call me of all people?"

Sasuke remained silent for a while, as if trying to figure out the answer himself. Looking away, as if he was embarrassed, he answered her indifferently, "Because you were the first person in my contacts list."

That was it? Ino tried to be the mature person in the conversation by restraining herself from demanding a more reasonable reason. Sasuke was really getting himself drunk, or was he already drunk? Figures. What was she supposed to do? Was she here to babysit and watch him? That was definitely not what she came here for.

Sitting on a chair one seat away from Sasuke, Ino ordered a club soda with lime and asked, "Why are you getting yourself drunk?" She took her time and drank her limed soda water slowly when it arrived. "Heartbroken?" she asked when he didn't answer, implying her speculation from what she heard about the event at school earlier.

Sasuke scoffed, "Why the hell would I be heartbroken? I'm _not_ in love with anyone."

"Really?" Ino asked testily with a chuckle. "What about your so-called 'fiancée'?"

"That's none of your business," he spat conclusively.

"You're the one who opened the topic." Ino shrugged sardonically as she took another sip of her drink. "Sounds to me that you're not in love with your fiancée, but still you're marrying her."

Sasuke was none too pleased with being interrogated. "That's none of your business."

"Suit yourself," Ino sighed. "It doesn't matter though, since the way you're acting speaks for itself."

With an annoyed glare, Sasuke countered, "This coming from someone who just got rejected."

"_What is it?" Sasuke asked, wondering why she gave him an urgent message to meet days after their masquerade as a couple._

_Ino remained silent with her eyes wavering hesitantly. She wasn't confident enough to pursue this decision, but a flash of Sakura's sad expression in her mind's eye made her continue impulsively, "I don't want to continue with it anymore."_

_Sasuke remained silent, as if her statement was to be expected. He didn't ask why, but she explained it to him nonetheless._

"_Regardless of the pleasure this relationship may be," Ino paused with a chuckle of disbelief. She couldn't believe she was saying this. "Sakura is more important to me."_

Sakura…

In a way, that was only partly true. It wasn't just because of her strong will power or Sakura's importance in her life. Her feelings for Sasuke just weren't as deep or strong as she thought. She didn't even feel any thrill in their 'fake' relationship when they were supposed to be together. The aftermath of breaking up with Sasuke had been one of relief.

Averting her gaze away, she played with her drink by swirling the straw around the lime in the glass. "If that's how you're going to be, let Sakura _go_ already. You haven't completely rejected her yet. If you want her to stop hanging on to you, tell her what she needs to know to finally let you go." The way things were going now, Sakura would never be able to get over Sasuke.

He didn't say anything, not that she wanted him to. He wouldn't give her the reply she wanted anyway.

"Besides, you didn't reject me," she continued on defensively, "There were no grounds in our _relationship_ for any rejection."

"Whatever," he grumbled with a scoff.

Well now, talking to a drunken individual was never a pleasant experience. She was starting to get annoyed. "Please, continue on drowning yourself by drinking into a stupor. Just pretend I'm not here." Ino waved him off with an exasperated sigh. Maybe she should've taken his advice before and left. She wasn't going to get anywhere with Sasuke so messed up.

"There you are!"

The sound of the familiar voice was enough to make Ino turn and see Uzumaki Naruto coming towards them, but the one close behind him was someone she didn't expect.

"Finally! We've been looking all over for you," Naruto hyperventilated with a relieved smile.

Ino didn't even hear Naruto's speech when all she could do was stare at the unexpected individual now standing in front of her.

"You need to stop with this self-destructive nonsense, little brother. I'm taking you home," Itachi said tersely.

Uchiha Itachi was the former heir of the Uchiha clan until he mysteriously stepped down, leaving the way clear for his younger brother to be the new heir. Still, his fame remained as established as before. He was well known in Konoha as the most successful student who ever graced its halls and excelled in many subjects at school. It was a fact that he excelled in everything more than his younger brother, and Uchiha Sasuke was already the smartest individual in their year. Uchiha Itachi was a prodigy that many envied, even his younger brother.

Ino couldn't believe it. Uchiha Itachi… was right here―right in front of her.

"You stopped being my older brother a long time ago, _nii-_san. Stop pretending like you care and leave me alone," he sneered dismissively.

Okay, that was it!

Naruto was about to say something, but he was rendered speechless the moment Ino stood up from her seat and smashed her elbow at the back of Sasuke's head, knocking him unconscious. Naruto could only frown in shock, looking at Ino, who was smiling in satisfaction.

Itachi, however, had something to say. "Don't you think that hitting a drunken man is a bit unfair since they can barely defend themselves?" he chided, chuckling when he noticed Ino blush at the question.

Looking away sheepishly, Ino tried to give a reasonable explanation. She could only think of the simplest of excuses. "He makes bad company awake and drunk. He's better company passed out while drunk." Not that it was a lie or anything. She was getting tired of being brushed aside when she was trying to have a decent conversation with him.

Itachi chuckled once more but didn't question any further. Scooping his unconscious brother, he slung Sasuke's arm over his shoulder and smiled gratefully to Ino, "Thank you, Yamanaka-san."

Her color didn't return to normal quick enough, causing her face to turn a darker shade when the blood rushed to her face once more. A compliment like that from Uchiha Itachi would _definitely_ make any woman blush.

Ah, the Uchiha charm always triumphs.

Before Itachi could leave however, Naruto stopped him with an urgent call. Ino turned to him quizzically, and blinked in confusion when she saw him take out his phone with a sneaky grin.

He positioned his phone and took a snap shot with a chuckle, "It's for future references."

Itachi understood the hidden message. If he needed to blackmail his brother, Naruto would have just the very thing―not that Itachi would really need it. Still, Naruto's childish actions never ceased to amuse him.

Ino watched Itachi leave with the unconscious Sasuke on his back. Well, guess there was no use for her being here anymore. Taking her wallet out of her bag, she pulled out her credit card and placed it on the table.

"Where are you going?" Sitting on the chair near Ino, Naruto stopped her by dismissing the bartender who was about to take Ino's card, but not before ordering the house special first. "Stay for a while. I'm a better company than Sasuke."

Raising an uninterested eyebrow, Ino said, "Really, what makes you think you're better company than he is?"

Naruto thought about it for a moment, but then replied confidently, "Well, I'm a better drinker than he is."

Oh, so he finally wanted to talk. She remembered the incident in the cafeteria when he refused to answer her question about Gaara's presence at their table. Kicking him was not enough to open his mouth, and eventually, the matter was forgotten. Until now.

With a sigh, she put her credit card in her wallet and dropped the object back in her bag. It was then that the thought occurred to her. Since they were already here, she might as well voice out her suspicions. She shifted in her seat to get in a more comfortable position. "What exactly are you planning, Uzumaki?"

Thanking the bartender quickly after the arrival of his drink, Naruto asked naively, "What do you mean?"

"Asking Sakura to suddenly eat with you guys isn't exactly something you do on you a whim." Ino's eyes narrowed suspiciously. "You're planning something."

"Is that why you wanted to join in, too?" Naruto asked, not bothering to play coy any longer. In a way, he admired Ino's protectiveness over her best friend. It reminded him of himself… with his own best friend. "Don't worry; I'm trying to help Sakura-chan here. No need to be so apprehensive."

"What for?"

"I'm trying to get that stubborn Sasuke jealous," Naruto admitted, but was rather disappointed with the result of his attempt. It wasn't working as well as he expected though.

Sasuke… jealous? "Why?" she asked out loud. That guy doesn't _get_ jealous.

"If there's someone out there who should be with Sasuke, it's Sakura-chan," Naruto replied solemnly. Not that he was doing all of it as a Good Samaritan. He had his own personal reasons.

Ino didn't quite understand, but chose not to pry. Whatever his reason was his own business as long as he wasn't doing it to harm Sakura. Still… there was something else. "What about Hinata?" Ino asked, jumping to the next issue in her mind. "It's obvious that the two of you like each other, but you don't seem to be willing to get past the level of flirting."

Naruto laughed light, scratching his head awkwardly. Flirting, huh? "Well, there's a reason for that." He never thought anyone would even care to notice. "Even if I want to, I can't be with Hinata-chan yet."

There was no need to ask why, since Naruto continued before Ino could form the lingering question.

"Did you know that Sasuke was a different guy early on in middle school? In fact, the reason why so many girls fancied themselves in love with him was because he was a great guy. He had a cool and distant personality, but he was there when his friends needed him."

Sasuke was there whenever _he _needed him.

Looking away with a distant thought, Naruto admitted thoughtfully to himself, _I envied that mature side of him._

"How does Hinata even relate to all of this?" Ino asked, nudging the conversation in the right direction. She didn't feel comfortable listening to such personal thoughts. It didn't feel right.

"There was a time when Sasuke needed my help, but I was too preoccupied with my own life to notice."

Ino knew that look. There was no mistaking it since she had gone through the same feeling long before. There was one thing that was bugging her though. "I don't see why you have to beat yourself up over it. You can't foresee everything. Sometimes, you will just miss some things―even if they are important."

So… he should beat himself up over it, huh? That might be the mature way of looking at it, but Ino was missing one crucial factor. "That was the time when both Hinata-chan and Sasuke needed me, and I didn't even hesitate before choosing Hinata-chan."

All because he refused to open his eyes and see that there was something wrong with his best friend.

No, that wasn't accurate.

It wasn't because he wouldn't see his best friend calling out to him. It was because he thought Sasuke would be fine all on his own.

After all, he was_ Uchiha_ Sasuke.

And that was what he regretted the most.

"I can't be together with Hinata-chan until I make it up to him."

Ino could understand how difficult it would be in choosing this uncertain path, but not completely since she'd never been in exactly a situation like this before. "Does Hinata know about your reason?"

"I asked her to wait for me," Naruto smiled at the pleasant memory. It didn't matter whether they were together or not, his feelings were enough to make him forget his troubles. He didn't even care if the effect would only be momentary. The longing and hope were still there. "And I promised her that I would go back to her when it's all over."

"What if she gets tired of waiting for you and she moves on with someone else?"

He never… really thought of that before. Naruto understood that he should be conflicted on being forced to choose between Sasuke and Hinata, but he wasn't afraid. In fact, he took the matter as a challenge. "If that happens, then I'll just have to steal her away," he smiled confidently.

Whoever said that he really needed to choose? He would do things his own way.

Ino didn't know what to say. She saw a whole, new side of Uzumaki Naruto, changing her impression of him. Maybe, he wasn't just an average idiot who was rude and impulsive. There was something deeper underneath that mischievous façade who adored forming pranks on other people. He valued relationships more than the flings he had with―

Wait a second… fling?

Who did he had a fling again?

"Gaara," Ino thought out loud. "I remember a rumor going around that you've been in a relationship with him." Ah, so that was it. She never thought the explanation to Gaara's presence could be so easily explained.

Any solemnity in Naruto's expression was now replaced with a disgusted scowl. Not her too. Why must everyone suspect his sexuality? "Gaara and I are friends―friends! Just because I used to follow him around before doesn't mean I was interested in him _sexually_!" Seriously, when would anyone finally get the hint!

"Okay, okay, sheesh." Ino rolled her eyes. She didn't expect him to be so defensive. "The two of you are friends. I understand." He should blame Sakura for putting it out in the open, not her. She was an innocent bystander who got included in the circulation of the said rumor―not as a mouthpiece, mind you, merely an earpiece.

The rest of their time was spent in mindless argument, bickering about one topic then another. Their previous conversation was not touched upon again through the rest of the next.

Unbeknownst to them, one of their friends was able to eavesdrop throughout their entire conversation.

* * *

Routines are essential in any given lifestyle. It provides order and balance. As an heiress to the Hyuuga family, routines held a great importance in Hinata's life. Going to school at the same time each day had been a part of this routine.

Sometimes, however, routines are ignored, usually when unexpected things happen.

Today was one of those days when she was greeted outside her house by the presence of one of her close friends.

"Kiba-kun?" she asked, wondering what he was doing here so early in the morning.

"Wanna walk to school together, Hinata?" Kiba suggested distantly, walking away before she could refuse his offer.

Not that she would―that would be rude. His behaviour, however, was something else entirely.

What could be troubling him?

* * *

Punctuality had been a trait that Sakura didn't think much about. It had always been a common practice for her to go to school at least forty-five minutes before homeroom began even during middle school. It became a routine that persisted throughout high school, mainly because she felt iffy if she didn't abide by it.

Today, however, anxiousness coursed through her body as she walked through the halls, determined to get to her destination as quickly as possible. Even if she scolded herself that she would only continue to hurt herself if she went there, she knew there was nothing that could be done about it.

She was already in too deep. She didn't know if she could manage to crawl out of the hole she put herself into, because of her continuous stupidity of digging herself even further into the pit she found herself in.

She never expected being in love to be so complex.

It all started when Sakura saw Naruto in class. At first, she thought she was hallucinating. Naruto never came to class _this _early. He would always brag about not being late even though his definition of punctuality was between the lines of getting to class right before the bell actually rung.

Seriously, she never understood how that was a bragging matter.

Being the only students in class, Sakura pondered why Sasuke wasn't there as well, considering that he was always the very first one to arrive. Remembering the abrupt change in Sasuke's morning routine when Karin arrived, Sakura bitterly stopped thinking about it.

Oddly enough, Naruto managed to read her expression and told her that Sasuke was in the infirmary, resting before class started. He told her that regardless of Sasuke being _ill_, he persisted in going to school anyway like a typical model student. Naruto explained further that he was the one who brought Sasuke to school, in fear that the guy would drive his own car straight into a lamp post in his condition.

Alarm and worry made her march out of the class before Naruto finished his story, ignoring his call when he asked her to come back. Her mind was occupied with thoughts of her ex-fiancée even when she arrived at the infirmary.

Her heart thumped loudly in her chest when she opened the door. This moment felt rather familiar. It was… just like that time… when she was in his bedroom when he got sick. She walked towards the bed, staring at his sleeping figure intently.

He was sleeping more peacefully this time, at least. Thank goodness he wasn't as sick as before. She placed her hand carefully and gently on his forehead, and when she felt no excessive heat radiating from it, let out a breathy sigh.

Maybe Naruto lied to her? Perhaps. Sakura knew that Sasuke was not ill but there was something else different about him. He wouldn't usually go to the infirmary early in the morning, to rest, if at all. It was as if, he would never show his weakness in front of others.

Was there another reason why he was here then?

Contemplating whether she should just leave―after all, she already saw that there was nothing dreadfully wrong with him―she inspected him more carefully this time. Being in close proximity didn't help and it only fueled her desire to touch him.

She was careful not to wake him up though. She brushed his hair with gentle fingers to the side, enthralled.

Their engagement was something that was forced on them by their parents and realistically, it was only a matter of time before that engagement came to an end. Finding out that he already had another _candidate_ for marriage was a huge blow to her. If only she knew him first… maybe their situation would have been different.

But… would that really make that much of a difference?

Her feelings would still remain one sided all the same and she would be heartbroken yet again.

If their situation had been different and she knew him longer not as her future fiancée but as a friend, she would call him…

"Sasuke-kun," she whispered with a smile. As if in a trance, she leaned closer, lowering her head towards his. She started to close her eyes subconsciously, not realizing that her desire became a powerful force that moved her body impulsively.

The situation proved to be very different from her previous encounter with him when he was sick because this time, he opened his eyes before she could seal their lips together.

The embarrassment of being caught made her realize what she was about to do and she swiftly straightened herself up and took a step backwards. She felt ashamed of her rashness and selfishness. She couldn't bear to stay here any longer. Desperate to get away, she whirled around, seeking for a chance to put some distance between them.

Before she could run away, however, he grabbed her hand in a firm grip, making her stumble backward. She turned around with every intention of making him let go of her arm, but he pulled her harder to the point that she lost her balance and consequently fell across him. She could only remain still when he imprisoned her in his arms, and whispered longingly in a voice that made her heart ache.

"I found you."

Sakura stiffened in his arms. If only he wasn't sick, she would've pushed him away without a second thought. She didn't want to be told that when he was definitely mistaking her for someone else. She was starting to regret coming here to see how he was. If only he didn't constantly consume her thoughts, she would already be in class interacting with her friends.

_No, I'm not Karin―damn it!_ she thought with disdain.

"I found you," Sasuke repeated in a jagged whisper, "Sakura."

Sakura went still. Wait―what? Did he just say her name? That didn't make sense. Karin was his fiancée and the one he―

"I won't leave you again, Sakura."

Her name… He was saying her name. She felt hot all over to the point that she felt tingles all over her body. Why was he saying her name? To add to that, what did he mean by not leaving her again? She couldn't quite understand. She didn't know if there were any hidden meanings behind that statement, but it gave her hope. Too much hope that she didn't resist him any longer and she leaned closer into his embrace.

She would've returned his embrace if not for the sound of the door opening and Karin's voice coming from outside the room.

"Sasuke," Karin called out, her voice articulating as she opened the door. "Are you in there?"

Sakura would've pushed him away, knowing that the fantasy had come to an end and she had to face reality. Before she could apply any force that would separate the two of them, he pushed away from her on his own. She wouldn't have minded, since she had the same intention, even though it would definitely hurt her afterwards, but the way he seemed in a rush to get away from her was enough to make her fall out of the bed and down on the ground with a dull thud.

Moaning faintly, she would've demanded an explanation for his actions, but before anything really registered in her mind, she suddenly saw his face mere inches away from hers. The sight of his intense dark gaze rendered her speechless. She could feel his arm above her head, using it to support his weight. With wide confused eyes, she watched him avert his gaze from her when the door opened and Karin's voice echoing inside the room.

"Sasuke?"

Sakura waited for Sasuke to get off of her to talk to his fiancée, but all he did was look back at her, sending her a silent message. He wanted her to be quiet, and it wasn't difficult to abide by his silent request. She couldn't even say anything regarding their… situation.

Lying down on the ground with him on top of her with Karin not a meter away from them was something she never would've expected from coming here. Why were they hiding from Karin?

Better yet, how would it look like if they were caught?

Sakura knew that it was only a matter of time before that happened.

* * *

Their journey had been a quiet and tense, making Hinata just itching to start up a conversation; anything to make the mood lighter. Kiba hadn't said anything since he picked her up at her house, and she was starting to get worried that there was something dreadfully wrong.

She couldn't think of what to say though. What should she talk about? The weather? How he was? Those topics would always end in a close ended conversation. She needed to think of something remotely interesting to talk about.

She needed to think of something that could somehow divert his attention from his own problems.

"Kiba-kun," Hinata trailed off uncertainly as they walked onward. "I thought about what you said to me the other day. You're right, there's nothing wrong with being jealous because it's something I can't control."

She was still insecure no matter how many times she had told herself that she had grown up. That was okay though. At least she had grown up enough to realize that she still had a long way to go.

"I'm sorry for worrying you, Kiba-kun," she stopped and smiled at him sincerely, "I'm okay now and I won't let my weak side get the better of me."

At that moment, Kiba saw his friend growing up and maturing into a woman. It was then that he remembered a part of Naruto and Ino's conversation at the bar yesterday night.

"_I can't be together with Hinata-chan until I make it up to him."_

Naruto was going to make Hinata wait, huh?

"Hinata," he looked away, finally speaking to her.

If that was how Naruto was going to play it, Kiba wasn't going to let this opportunity pass him by.

"I have been in love with you for a long time now. Will you go out with me?"

* * *

Sakura wanted to close her eyes and pray that this was all just a dream and that she could suddenly open her eyes and wake up from it, but she couldn't blink with Sasuke staring at her so intently. Feeling his hot breath fanning over her wasn't helping her situation. He still looked a bit worn out and maybe her sympathetic side prevented her from protesting their current position.

She didn't hear Karin approaching the bed they were beside at until she heard her murmur.

"Odd, I was sure that he was going to be here." Karin walked away, her footsteps echoing like drum rolls in Sakura's ears.

When the door slid shut, and Sakura could barely hear the sound of footsteps, she brought her attention back to her ex-fiancée one more time before he stood up, relieving her of his weight. She could only continue to stare at him wordlessly as he took her hand and hoisted her up her feet.

It would seem that Karin's disappearance brought her voice back and she was finally able to ask, "What was that all about Sasuke? That was your fiancée looking for you, and by the way you just acted, it makes it look like you're hiding something." He was getting more and more confusing and it was becoming extremely frustrating. She couldn't understand him anymore, and most importantly―

What was she supposed to be?

He already made clear that he held no special feelings for her, but the way he was acting for the past week told her a different story. Even if he did somehow _care _for her, Sakura didn't know to what extent. Or was he just… playing with her again?

When he said nothing to explain his actions, Sakura became even more irritated. At least she was prepared this time. She managed to bring the stupid necklace so she could finally return it to him, and this time, she wasn't leaving until it was out of her hands.

Taking out the necklace from her pocket, she thrust it to him with a glare. "I've been meaning to return this to you," Sakura said, trying to retain her politeness despite the urge to just throw the damn thing at his face.

He turned to her, gazing at the necklace significantly. He didn't even lift his hand to take the object from her and just said simply, "It's your belated birthday present. That belongs completely to you."

What? This thing… was a birthday present?

"And I suggest you stay away from me when I'm not yet sober. I tend to attack people that way," he smirked teasingly, leaving a gaping Sakura standing alone in the room.

* * *

"Itachi-sama, the package has arrived," the maid said, handing him a thick folder. Bowing respectfully after finishing her task, the maid walked out of the room.

Itachi looked at the package in his hands extensively, knowing how it would change everything.

"_Itachi-niisama!"_

_Itachi turned around and saw the little seven-year-old Haruno Sakura running frantically towards him. He smiled at her tenderly and asked, "What's wrong, Sakura?"_

_Shaking her head with a pout, she said, "I don't want you guys to go! Why do you have to leave?"_

_Patting her head gently, he sighed and replied sympathetically, "Don't worry; I'm sure you'll do fine on your own."_

_Itachi knew that there was another person who was going to be greatly affected by their departure. He wasn't sure how Sasuke was taking it in though._

_The next time Itachi saw Sakura, he was with his little brother, the day before their departure._

_Sasuke looked away from Sakura, feeling uneasy at seeing the little girl crying. "We'll meet again someday, so stop crying already."_

"_But, but―I don't want you to go," Sakura protested with a whine._

_Seeing that Sakura only continued crying, Sasuke became even more perturbed. Determined to stop her from crying, he suggested, "We'll just write to each other."_

"_Eh?" Sakura looked up, wiping her eyes to clear away her clouded vision._

_Taking out a piece of paper and pen, Sasuke began writing. "Since we won't get to see each other, we'll just write to each other. That way, we'll each know how the other is doing."_

_Sakura walked over to him and peeked over Sasuke's shoulder with great interest._

_Itachi, doing the same, frowned at the blank page. It didn't take long for him to catch on. His little brother didn't know their new address. Well, it was to be expected. With a teasing smile, Itachi asked helpfully, "Do you need help, Sasuke?"_

"_No," Sasuke quickly replied stubbornly._

"_I could give you the address if you don't remember it."_

"_I do remember it!" Sasuke shot back defensively. He went back to the blank piece of paper and tried to write the address, but after a few moments, he gave up and asked Itachi, "Can you give me one of those things?"_

"_What things?"_

"_That paper thing with our address on it."_

_Itachi chuckled, "Those things are called 'business cards', Sasuke."_

_Ignoring the correction, Sasuke asked persistently, "Yeah, can I have one?"_

_Ah, his charming, naïve little brother. "You can't give that to Sakura, Sasuke."_

_Sasuke frowned in confusion. "Why not?"_

_Itachi didn't know how to explain it. "It's not proper," was the only thing he could say without getting too complex about it._

_Sasuke didn't think it really mattered. "But it has our address on it, right?"_

"_How about I write it down for you?" Itachi recommended flexibly._

_Sasuke nodded without a fuss and waited for Itachi to write down their new address._

_Itachi gave the scribbled note to his brother, and saw him turn to Sakura but paused, deep in thought. He wondered what made Sasuke stop, but seeing him crunched over and writing on another empty paper, his question was answered. Ah, so he had to write it himself, did he?_

_After finishing, Sasuke smiled proudly at his work and handed the paper to Sakura. "There, that's my address, so even if I'm far away, you won't ever get lonely."_

_Sakura had just stopped crying, but looking at the paper in her hand brought the tears once more. She didn't stand there, crying openly this time. Before either Sasuke or Itachi could guess her intent, she threw herself in Sasuke's arms and hugged him tightly._

_Sasuke immediately protested but didn't push the girl away. In fact, Itachi eventually saw his little brother smiling tenderly and gently hugging Sakura back._

_Watching the two of them was enough to make Itachi feel young again with the weight of being the next clan leader lifted off of his shoulders._

_**TBC**_

* * *

**A/N: **I am drained enough as it is so I'll let the last scene be a compensation for a preview. I hope this chapter is starting to answer some of your questions. The rest will be revealed in time. If anyone notices (hopefully my new readers can), I'm starting to refer to the previous chapters. If some of you are confused, it's the part where Ino asked about Gaara in her conversation with Naruto. It relates to Chapter 5, when Sakura told everyone that Gaara and Naruto were together. I already explained it, but to the ones who are still confused, Sakura always saw Naruto following her older brother and made a conclusion that Naruto 'liked' Gaara.

The next part will have a mix of both Sakura and Sasuke's life in the past. That means, Sakura's past with Tsubasa will have to wait until next chapter. Oh, and before anyone re-reads the Sasuke and Sakura moment again―which I believe most of you will―a review would be very much appreciated. So… thoughts anyone? How did it go?

* * *

**Updated: **August 29, 2010


	26. Memories Part 2

**Engagement On Hold**

**Summary:** (AU) Uchiha Sasuke is Konoha High's reigning prince. Haruno Sakura is…? Who is she again? What happens when the guy everybody knows finds himself engaged to the girl nobody knows?

**Genre:** Romance/Humor/Drama

**Pairings:** Sasuke/Sakura, Naruto/Hinata, Shikamaru/Temari

**Author:** pei-chan

**Disclaimer:** Wouldn't it be nice if Sasuke and Sakura were really engaged in the Naruto series? Then again, that would only occur in our dreams… ne?

**A/N: **It's not as long but should be long enough to make up for the two months of not updating. No Sasuke and Sakura interaction here, but it should be interesting enough on its own. Do not lose hope―those who prefer the Sasuke and Sakura moments than the actual story―for it will come true (soon enough). To anybody who's interested, the infirmary scene from the last chapter has already been edited. Check it out.

* * *

**Chapter 26―Memories Part 2**

How long had she been staring at this trinket? Ten? Fifteen? Thirty minutes? Sakura didn't understand what she should do about the necklace. Sure, her ex-fiancée did say that it was a belated birthday present, but she felt little gratitude in getting the expensive jewelry―merely apprehension.

At least the outside spring-summery breeze helped in calming her senses. Thankfully, the weather wasn't too hot to cause frustrating migraines that would add to her list of problems.

What she still didn't understand was why he would give an object that had the insignia of his family to someone who would _not_ be a part of it in the immediate future? Of all the things he could give her, why this?

"Nice necklace," Sai brusquely murmured over her shoulder.

Gasping in shock, Sakura glared at his unwanted arrival. What was he doing here?

"A lost item perhaps," Sai said, not bothered by her annoyed expression.

"Why do you say that?"

"Because it has your ex-fiancée's family crest on it. Maybe he lost it?" Sai asked speculatively.

"He gave it to me," Sakura replied honestly in a surreptitious manner. Taking offense at his unpleasant statement, she added, "In case you've forgotten, my family's in par within that factor."

"And yet you tried to act otherwise during your first years in high school," he replied frankly with a smile. He took the opportunity to take the object away from her when she tried to think of a sly comeback.

Sakura gasped, perplexed at what he did, but immediately tired to get it back when she realized what happened. "Hey, that's mine! Give it back!"

"I remember where I've seen this now. You were throwing it away before. If you want to be rid of it that badly, I'll do it for you." He lifted the necklace out of her reach with a teasing smile when she tried to take it back from him.

"No! Give it back!" Sakura protested, trying in vain to retrieve the item.

He smiled in amusement at Sakura's feeble attempts in taking the necklace back. Seeing her desperately trying to take it away from him by unknowingly pressing herself closer to him made the experience all the more pleasurable. He was definitely enjoying this.

Their height difference made it all the harder to grab it from his raised arm. Realizing that jumping for it wasn't working out, she tried a different strategy and tiptoed for the necklace. When that still didn't work, she combined the two together. That didn't turn out as well as she had hoped, and it didn't take long for her to lose her balance and she clumsily fell on him. However, he wasn't able to support her weight in time and they both collapsed on the ground with his backside taking the force of the impact.

Sakura was flustered that they were both on the ground with her lying comfortably on top of him, and tried to get up in alarm. She was halted by a firm hand, holding her down by pressing it on the center of her back.

"Who would've thought that it would take such a small object to bring you back in my arms," he murmured softly, nestling his cheek over her pink head.

The feeling of his gentle touch increased the beat of her already erratic heart. She was stupefied at how sincere he sounded. She heard no deception in his voice―only a mixture of longing and sorrow.

"Sai…" She couldn't bring herself to push him away. After all this time, he could still make her heart skip a beat. She thought she was already over him, but her palpitating heart made it seem otherwise. She still hadn't let him go, had she? Was it because she finally recovered her memories―that her feelings for him resurfaced along with it?

She lay still, swept away by her conflicting thoughts.

"What will it take for you to be mine again?" Sai whispered the question and confession, while tightening his embrace.

No… please… don't say that. She didn't want to hear such a tender confession while being caressed so gently.

_Stop doing these things that are making me even more confused._

It was then that she heard the intrusive sound of someone awkwardly clearing their throat.

Sakura groaned dejectedly. She wanted to hide somewhere and never show her face again. _Oh, you've got to be kidding me._

Naruto looked on as Sakura quickly got off of Sai and stood up, coloring with embarrassment. Sai followed suit, sending a piercing, blank stare at them.

Looking away to maintain a grip on her scattering sanity, Sakura remained silent, knowing that any excuse she would come up with wouldn't erase their suspicion. After all, what reasonable alibi could there be when she had been practically lying on top of Sai the whole time.

The tense silence ensued, with the atmosphere too awkward around them. It was Shikamaru who finally spoke, voicing the matter out loud.

"So… what happened in class yesterday was just part of some show you two were doing?"

"No!" Sakura protested strongly. "We're not like that!"

"Then what _are_ you two then?" Naruto asked surreptitiously. He didn't like the situation one bit. Here he was, using his personal time and effort just to bring the two of them―namely Sasuke and Sakura―together, only to see both parties going in the opposite direction and pursuing different people. This wasn't how it was supposed to be. "Don't bother saying that you fell on him Sakura-chan, when we saw how comfortable you two were."

Sakura could only open her mouth wordlessly. She never expected this to come from Naruto of all people, and hearing it stated so bluntly made her even guiltier. Despite the situation being a complete misunderstanding, she felt bad. Why did it feel like she was betraying him?

"We were exploring a different style of yoga," Sai interjected with a smile.

That statement didn't fail to earn him a sharp glare from Sakura and a frown from Naruto and Shikamaru.

Sakura could feel her temper rising. Why did Sai have to be his charming and frankly annoying self now? Couldn't he be a jerk at another time? That was definitely uncalled for. Because seriously―_That wasn't funny at all!_

If Naruto wasn't convinced before that he didn't like Sai, he was now. His selfish and uncaring attitude was starting to irritate Naruto.

It took great effort on Shikamaru's part to hold his own sardonic reply. That was _way_ too comfortable for yoga.

Turning towards Sakura, Sai reached out his hand and dropped the necklace onto the palm of her hand when she unconsciously held it out. Her expression changed in an instant when she laid her eyes on the trinket. Her expression was one Sai didn't wish to see, and it made the urge to take the object back stronger inside of him.

He remembered when she used to look at him that way, and he would always get irritated by it. All he wanted was for her to stop looking at him with those eyes.

"_Do you know why it's easy to fall in love with someone famous?" Sakura blurted the question out of the blue, breaking the silence and the awkwardness between them._

_He didn't say anything and looked out into the distance, even though he knew she was indirectly talking about him. If his actions made him look like a rude asshole, then so be it. She was the one who chose to wait with him here as he waited for Tsubasa. Now if only that girl would get here faster, he wouldn't have to listen to Sakura yap about more nonsense._

_He saw her shoulders slump after a while, looking dejected. With a mental sigh, he decided to play along with it. After all, he did have time to spare. "I'm not famous though," he replied, not masking his lack of interest on the subject._

_Sakura's spirits lifted at the reply, thankful that her attempt at conversation wasn't futile. It was easy for her to get back on topic. "Despite being a recent transfer student, you're popular, aren't you?"_

_He didn't say anything._

"_That's why a lot of girls fancy themselves in love with you. It's only when a person's famous do people look for the excellent traits they find appealing in that person, and before you know it, that person becomes somebody they admire, their crush, or even the person they wish to marry._

"_You're popular, so many girls turn to look at you to see what's so special about you. Most of them find it and your fan base increases, while others avoid you because they feel inferior towards you. But how do you know which one is real? How do you know if that feeling of 'love' is genuine?"_

"_You don't," Sai answered with ease._

_Sakura gave him a searching gaze and smiled after a few moments. "It's hard to distinguish between admiration and love, but if it is love, it won't be hard to miss."_

_He got lost within the intensity of her gaze that he had to force himself to turn away from her. She sounded so sure of herself that Sai couldn't classify her as being stupid or naïve._

_Maybe, having to wait for Tsubasa wouldn't be so boring anymore._

Now that she had finally moved on from him, he wanted that attention―her dedication back. He wanted her to show him what it meant to love someone.

That was exactly why he treated her like an ass when he saw her again here in Konoha. The moment her eyes showed no recognition of who he was sent him over the edge. He wanted to see the same reflection it had whenever she would look at him like she did two years ago when she told him that she loved him.

Was that how love was supposed to be? He remembered reading it in books and passages that love was supposed to be everlasting, strong and it grew along with the passing time: if she had been in love with him, then it wouldn't have changed, wouldn't it?

He couldn't forgive her for playing with him. He made an excuse to Tsubasa that he was seeking revenge for her, but truth of the matter was, he was doing it for himself. Through it all, Tsubasa saw right through him with ease.

"_I'm not going to stop you on whatever it is that you want to do," Tsubasa said in an audible undertone. "Just do me one favor..._

"_Promise me that you won't hurt yourself for what you're going to do._

"_After__all, we've both been lying to each other all along," Tsubasa admitted softly. "I know how you feel about her."_

In the end, Sakura managed to break through his defenses at the most unexpected moment and make him realize his mistake two years ago.

_Taking a rapid step towards him, she grabbed his shoulder sleeve, preventing him from walking any further. He turned around, with a puzzled expression, while she stared at him with an intense and mysterious look on her face._

_What was it he was seeing?_

_Her expression was the clear reason that altered his decision from that day._

_It was the same as that time._

_Longing._

_It was as if she was silently telling him not to go._

Seeing her look at him with the same expression she used to was enough to make him forget his plan. All he thought about was having her back, being more careful in not making the same mistake twice.

"It wouldn't be fun if I throw this away only to have you complain nonstop about it later," Sai chuckled speculatively.

Naruto didn't even notice Sai leaving. His attention was focused solely on the necklace in Sakura's hand. He couldn't believe it. "Why do you have that?" he asked, voicing his thoughts out loud.

Sakura turned to him and replied hesitantly, "Sasuke… he gave it to me."

If that was the case―no, that didn't make sense at all because if it _was_ true, then that could only mean one thing.

"You're the one…" he spoke so softly that only Shikamaru was able to catch it.

* * *

Naruto immediately went to look for Sasuke to confirm his doubts. How could he have not noticed it? It had been obvious, but he didn't stop long enough to put the pieces together.

Sakura-chan… she was the one―

He spotted Sasuke not a moment later, and seeing him alone made it even better. Calling his best friend's name to get his attention, Naruto approached him with quick strides, trying not to waste any more time. He cut to the chase and told Sasuke about the necklace. "I understand now. It's Sakura-chan, isn't it?"

Sasuke didn't even give Naruto so much as an acknowledging glance.

"She's the girl you had talked about back then―your childhood friend."

* * *

Sakura didn't expect Sai's unexpected persistence to affect her this much. Conflicted by her past feelings for Sai, and her present feelings for Sasuke, Sakura walked on distractedly. The dreaded migraine that she had been trying to avoid struck her like a bullet.

Normally, she would be against skipping class, but with her head throbbing like it was about to split open, sitting in for a lecture didn't sound too thrilling. She needed to lie down and snooze for a bit.

Besides, she wouldn't pay attention to the lesson anyway. Since she wasn't going to be there mentally, might as well be logical and not be there physically, ergo: not show up at all.

She didn't know how long she has been walking around; trying to avoid classrooms and faculty rooms, in case she got caught.

"Loitering? I never knew you had it in you, Sakura," a familiar voice chided.

* * *

"Why didn't you say anything?" _Why didn't you tell me? _Naruto repeated thoughtfully. Was he that untrustworthy?

"Last thing I recall, you didn't want to be bothered by such issues," Sasuke replied with a sardonic chuckle. When Naruto chose Hyuuga Hinata and ignored him when Sasuke needed their friendship the most, Sasuke was sure that their friendship would eventually crumble. However, despite the strain that the incident had caused between them, they were still able to retain their friendship even if it wasn't the same as before. Even though Sasuke found Naruto's persistence annoying, it was what kept their friendship intact.

Still, that didn't matter to Sasuke; what was done was done.

"Besides, what I do with my life is none of your business. You lost any part or say in it long ago."

Not that long ago.

It was during junior high when Itachi left for parts unknown to be the successor of the Uchiha clan that changed everything.

* * *

"Haven't I seen you enough for one day Ino?" Sakura asked, turning around expectantly.

"That depends," Ino thought about it for a moment, "If you're skipping or not?"

"I'm out on an errand," Sakura lied. As appealing as Ino's company may be, she preferred to be alone at the moment.

Ino didn't buy it. They may have stopped hanging out for a while, but despite the time that had passed, Sakura was still unable to lie to her. "Me, too," Ino said automatically, "You want to go together?"

Sakura groaned in disdain. "Go _away,_ Ino."

Well, that was easy. "You know, lying to me won't do you any good since you're so bad at it," Ino teased with a triumphant smile.

Glaring at the girl beside her, Sakura became desperate. "What do I have to do to make you go away?" She didn't care what she had to do. If it would take Ino's company away from her so she could finally think in peace, then Sakura was all for it. "You're giving me a migraine," Sakura admitted distastefully.

"It's about time you start skipping," Ino claimed approvingly, "It's been long overdue. I'm glad you're finally growing up."

As tempting as it were to argue with Ino, Sakura didn't think she had the energy to. She went to subtleties instead. "Thanks Ino," Sakura rolled her eyes with great sarcasm. "Now would you please go away?"

"Oh come on, how long has it been since we hung out with just the two of us."

"Apparently not long enough," was Sakura's quick reply. Despite the quick ending replies Sakura threw at Ino, she knew that the conversation would only continue on. Thankfully, however, a loud cry echoed at the end of the hall, earning their attention.

Turning towards the direction of the sound, Sakura listened towards the voice more closely.

"I don't think you were listening."

What was going on?

The two of them went closer to see what was happening. Was it a fight? With the noise level being created, it was only a matter of time before a faculty member would pass by to see what it was all about.

She should just ignore it and get away from there before someone else came, but Sakura couldn't bring herself to turn away, nor did she understand why. Curiosity? Perhaps. Or maybe it was a protective instinct to prevent any bullying from happening around her whenever she was there to witness it.

Ino followed her without a word, probably as curious as she was, but that didn't even linger long enough in Sakura's thoughts. All she could think about was trying to figure out the situation near them.

After turning at the corner of the hall, they finally saw the people creating the loud ruckus within the halls. There were three girls surrounding someone else, obstructing the person from Sakura and Ino's view. The girls continued to taunt and humiliate their prey and they didn't even notice the presence of two new individuals near them.

"We told you to back off," the girl at the left sneered.

The girl in the center (most probably the head honcho) continued arrogantly, "And we don't want you to think about it―we need you to do it."

"Or else," the last girl echoed.

After a few more taunts, the girls managed to shift their position, unknowingly showing the identity of their companion to their intruders.

Sakura's eyes widened, perplexed. It couldn't be…

… Akashi Karin?

* * *

"I know you hate me for not being there when Itachi left, but don't you think you're being cruel to Sakura-chan," Naruto paused, debating whether pointing it out would be wise. "She has nothing to do with what happened." It wasn't hard to notice Sakura-chan's feelings for his best friend, and Naruto knew that Sasuke was already aware of it.

Sasuke remained impassive, not letting anything show from his expression. "Nothing?" he scoffed in irony and then pointed out, "The two of you are exactly the same."

The same? What did he…? "You mean, when Itachi left," Naruto wasn't certain if his speculation was true, but it was the only one that made sense. "Sakura-chan wasn't there either, was she?"

The taut silence that came was enough to give Naruto the answer he was looking for.

* * *

She really should have kept her mouth shut. Not only did she manage to antagonize her assailants even further, but she also managed to aggravate them more.

Why did she have to feel guilty about that?

There was nothing she could do to prevent their jealousy from igniting into rage. Time was only succeeding in prolonging it anyway. She might as well manipulate that anger now while it was still fresh. The sooner they tried to hurt her, the faster she could get them suspended for it. If that didn't work, Karin was sure that Sasuke wouldn't think twice in backing her up. He had never let her down before, and she knew she could definitely count on him.

She braced herself when she saw a vicious glint in her assailant's eyes. It was only a matter of time before one of them would finally use physical bullying to get their point across. She saw the girl's hand swing backwards, ready to beat her into submission.

"Ah, if it isn't my good friends," a new voice drawled in amusement in front of her.

It was only then that Karin noticed the presence of Haruno Sakura and the infamous model, Yamanaka Ino a couple of feet away from them. They must have been watching their argument for a while now, and Karin had been too preoccupied to notice.

Karin's assailants instantly recognized the intruders and glared at Sakura. "Haruno, we don't care about you right now, so why don't you just run along," the girl in the middle said dismissively.

Ino only averted her gaze calmly to Sakura, not bothering to interfere. The girl excluded her from the conversation intentionally, but Ino didn't mind. Sakura didn't look like she was in need of assistance.

Karin could only watch as she was eventually forgotten by her assailants as Haruno Sakura taunted them relentlessly.

"Seriously, can't you get a life? Bothering someone because of your obsessive infatuations is not only pathetic―its making you look stupid."

Karin knew it wouldn't be long before one of the girls snapped and force Sakura to learn her place, but before any slaps could be given, Sakura was able to diffuse their anger, leaving nothing left but fear.

"Before you even think about hitting me, you should think about what happened the last time you tried to intimidate me. If you want to continue where we left off, I'll be happy to oblige you," Sakura smirked confidently, her eyes narrowing arrogantly.

Arrogant or not, it achieved its purpose. Sending Sakura one final glare, they gave Karin a warning glance and scampered away leaving the three girls alone in the hall.

Karin couldn't believe it. That was it? That was all it took to get those girls out of her hair? She could feel her anger rising. But they did the same thing! They both insulted them, but somehow, Haruno Sakura's threat managed to shake them up in a way that Karin didn't understand. Why―what was so different about them?

She hated this! It was one thing for Haruno Sakura to be Sasuke's previous fiancée, if not, his _official_ fiancée, but to be protected by her? She couldn't stand it!

"Are you alright?" Sakura asked hesitantly, with a slight tinge of concern.

That small caring statement was enough to blow Karin over the edge. That was it! She was through with giving out the silent treatment. It was time to give this girl a piece of her mind.

"I didn't need your help!" Karin snapped angrily.

The two blinked in confusion, with Haruno Sakura more taken aback than her companion, wondering what made Karin so angry.

"I don't need any help from someone like you," Karin elaborated, glaring fiercely at Sakura. Somehow, her frown was enough to fuel Karin's anger even further. "So please stop playing innocent and stay the hell away from _my_ fiancée! Don't think I don't know what you're trying to do, when your intentions are very clear."

When Sakura didn't say anything to defend herself, Karin took it as a sign of confirmation. Ever since she saw Haruno Sakura's photo at an online article with the headline of her being engaged to Sasuke, Karin couldn't help but feel envious of her. She had everything that Karin didn't: wealth, social standing, and most importantly, an arranged marriage with Sasuke.

Sure, Sasuke might've been the one who proposed to her, but seeing that his _family_ arranged another marriage for him only lowered Karin's spirits. They were just like a typical romantic drama. She didn't like fighting against the odds, nor the phrase, 'love conquers all'; it didn't sound realistic at all. Most people preferred having an easy life, considering the difficulty many people faced during the current era.

Why couldn't they have a normal relationship?

Well, their relationship didn't exactly start out so normal. It was when his brother, Uchiha Itachi, left the country to be the head of the clan. Sasuke was devastated, considering how close the siblings were.

_Her eyes remained transfixed on Sasuke's wet form. With her umbrella securely sheltering her from the rain, Karin walked up to him, even though she knew his strong desire to be alone. He might think of her as a nuisance, but she wanted to comfort him, somehow._

_She held the umbrella over his head, exposing herself to the downpour around them. She didn't care though for it was only a little rain. She wouldn't get sick over it. All she cared about was consoling Sasuke, longing to see him with his carefree and cool self whenever he protected her from those who bullied her._

"_Karin," was all he said, and she couldn't figure out whether it was a greeting or a simple statement._

_She took his knowledge of her presence as a request to stay, and kneeled on the wet pavement greeting him back with a genuine intensity mixed with concern, "Sasuke."_

_He didn't say anything, and Karin couldn't help but be relieved that he didn't tell her to go away. If he did tell her to go away, she wouldn't think twice about abiding with his request. At least, now she could stay with him because it was clear that he needed her._

_Gathering all the courage she possessed, she gently, yet carefully, placed her hand over his tightly clenched one and said, "Don't worry; I'll stay with you, no matter what."_

_It didn't matter what would become of them the next day, all Karin cared about was being by his side even for just this moment._

_He needed her now, and she wanted to be there for him._

Karin knew, however, that there was something else behind Sasuke's sorrow that day, and she had never asked about it, knowing that Sasuke would tell her if he wanted to. Possibly, it was about other things about the Uchiha clan that the public knew nothing about.

Even if there were many things that she had no knowledge of, Karin was certain about one thing: she understood Sasuke like no one else did. This girl knew nothing about him and shared no past with him. She could let their prior engagement go in the future, but seeing Haruno Sakura in love with Sasuke was something she couldn't let pass. It wasn't hard, considering that Karin was familiar with the feeling.

Still, she wouldn't hand Sasuke over to Haruno Sakura, not when she knew him first.

Sakura didn't notice the breath she was holding until Akashi Karin left, her threat affected her more than she realized. Could it be possible that Karin knew about the incident in the infirmary this morning? No, she would've said so if she did, and she would've been more aggressive, probably even vocalize her obvious objections and antipathy physically, if that was so.

"I never thought there would be a person who has more enemies that I do," Ino chided mildly. "And you didn't even need my help to fend them off. I've got to say, you're finally growing up."

"Are we back to that again?" Sakura replied with a sigh.

"Well, you're the one that charged into something that's completely none of your business, and got told off by the one you were trying to protect right after. Don't blame me for finding something to laugh about the issue."

"Weren't you skipping class to go to work? How about going on your way and do what you do best?" Sakura suggested, biting back the rest of her sarcastic comment. She could've added how lazy Ino was, but wanting the conversation to end as quickly as possible, she stopped herself.

"It's cancelled," Ino said smugly, "For the rest of the week."

_It's just today I care about_, Sakura thought in disdain. Didn't she already make it clear she didn't want any company?

"But I can understand why you did it," Ino said, abruptly changing the light mood after the thought occurred to her. As a spectator, Ino was able to see something she normally would've been ignorant about had she joined in the argument and defended Sakura. Seeing Sakura defend a fellow rival wasn't what any normal person would do, unless… "You see yourself in her, don't you?" It was the only explanation that made sense.

Well, more like Sakura's past self, but Ino didn't need to elaborate about that. They both understood that that was where she was going.

Sakura exhaled a breathy sigh, gazing thoughtfully at the empty hall where had Karin departed. It was true. Karin did remind her of her past self. A little creepy, but it was what drove her to do a selfless deed.

The silence was broken after a stern voice suddenly boomed in front of them saying: "So you two are the ones loitering around." Mitarashi Anko, the school secretary, walked towards them with a disapproving look on her face. "Detention for the two of you," she said brusquely and told them to follow her to the office.

Oh great, talk about a new way to say 'thank you'. That was definitely the last time she was helping Akashi Karin in anything; what a way to slap away somebody else's good deed.

After humming casually at the odd turn of events, Ino couldn't help but point out the obvious. "Your friend must've told on us. It seems our bonding time will have to wait until later on, eh?"

Sakura wanted to hide somewhere. Class lectures suddenly became so much more appealing.

Could things get any worse?

* * *

No words were spoken between Sakura and Ino as they were escorted towards the principal's office. After being severely reprimanded and threatened with a harsher punishment, they decided it would be best to keep quiet for the remainder of the trip.

As they came into the office, they felt the clear change in the atmosphere. Inhabitants always created the feel of the room, and this place was no exception. It felt gloomy and dull―grownups. Luckily for them, they didn't have to face their fate immediately and were told to sit on one chairs arranged in a row at the corner while they waited.

However, there was already someone present there. That person looked up and smirked at them when their eyes met. "Well, isn't this a pleasant surprise?" Ami chuckled at the irony of them all being in the same room together. "Is it our reunion already?"

It was a first that all of them got into trouble at the same time, even the same day.

Sakura held her tongue, but cussed mentally, _Reunion my ass!_

Ino didn't seem too thrilled about seeing Ami as well, but took the seat that was one chair away from Ami and asked, "So what are you in for?"

_It was as if they were in prison or something,_ was what Sakura wanted to say. Why couldn't Ino be normal for today and stop being so sarcastic?

Taking the seat next to Ino, Sakura listened inattentively to Ami's story.

"Well, if you must know, that stupid new girl―or rather transfer student got me here," Ami huffed in her more than usual uppity manner, not bothering to hide her spite towards the girl.

Karin, huh?

"You, too?" Ino smiled hiding her somewhat vindictive pleasure behind obvious humor.

Ami took comfort and satisfaction at not being alone. "Oh, so I'm not the only one who hates the stupid bitch."

Anko immediately chastised Ami's inappropriate language that Ami didn't think twice in ignoring.

Ami continued as if it was nothing, "We're still the same after all."

Sakura could only avert her gaze uneasily from the annoyed secretary and her ex-friend. Ami was definitely getting a more severe punishment for that behaviour. Idiot.

"The only difference is that you hate people, while people hate on me instead," Ino corrected.

Ami didn't reply but looked at Sakura, suddenly including her in the conversation, "How about you, Sakura?"

Sakura could only stare at Ami skeptically. In the past, Ami would do whatever it took to embarrass her and exclude her from conversations, so why bother asking for her opinion now? It wasn't like Ami gave a damn; a truce, perhaps? No, she didn't buy it.

"I don't care," Sakura replied dismissively. She shouldn't bother getting her hopes up and thinking that Ami had a good side. She would only be asking for a death sentence.

Ami didn't press the issue, shrugging her shoulders somewhat sluggishly. "If you don't want to talk about her, how about we talk about one of your friends instead?"

Sakura and Ino couldn't help but look at each other for a moment. Their friend… who?

"It was really amusing actually. Normally, I wouldn't tell just anyone this, but since we shared a past together, talking like old times wouldn't hurt, now would it?" Ami leaned back on her chair and crossed her arms. "Did you know that Inuzuka Kiba has a crush on Hyuuga Hinata?"

Ino turned to Sakura in bewilderment. She didn't know that. Sakura remained impassive, already informed about the issue.

"They didn't see me, but I heard him ask her out this morning," Ami laughed, recalling the incident earlier that morning. Apparently, there was something hilarious about it in her opinion. "Can you believe it? Some people just have no taste―what a joke!"

Ami's laughter could be heard even through deafened ears, as the information brought Sakura into a trance. She didn't even notice Ino gazing at her worriedly. All Sakura could think about was Kiba and Hinata.

Kiba asked Hinata out… but didn't he already give up because of Naruto.

Why? Why now of all times?

* * *

Sakura didn't waste any time in asking Kiba about it. The very moment lunch arrived; she rushed to the cafeteria as quickly as she could.

Hinata followed Sakura close behind, wondering what the reason was for her odd behavior. Even though she noticed that something was wrong, Hinata didn't even try to ask. She didn't want to repeat the same mistake as last time when she told Sakura about Sasuke's protecting her from the people who bullied her. Hinata didn't want Sakura to worry about more things than she already did.

Coming into the room, Hinata could see Kiba alone at their table. _Where's Naruto-kun?_

Hinata was confident that Ino was only minutes away from them, but Naruto would always be there before anyone else. After all, lunch was his favorite part of the day.

When they finally arrived at their spot, Sakura only baffled Hinata further when she gave Kiba a firm command: "We need to talk." By the sound of her tone, Sakura wasn't going to accept a simple 'no.'

The unusual situation persisted when Kiba didn't even say anything, and Hinata could see a spark between them the moment their eyes met. He abruptly got up from his seat, startling Hinata, and without a word started walking away. Sakura didn't even flinch and silently followed him.

It was as if they came to an understanding.

Why were they acting so weird? Did something happen between the two of them that she knew nothing about?

Something was wrong, she could feel it.

As if on cue, Naruto walked into the room at the exact moment Sakura left behind Kiba. He tried to greet her, only to be rudely ignored. Blinking in confusion, Naruto turned and watched as Sakura disappeared past a corner right after Kiba.

Kiba? Where were they going?

"Naruto-kun," Hinata's soft voice called out uneasily from behind him.

He turned and gave her a cheerless, automatic smile and greeted back, "Hinata-chan, you're here early."

Hinata nodded, looking away meekly as she muttered, "Naruto-kun, is it okay… if you can… watch our stuff for a while?"

Naruto nodded thoughtlessly. He couldn't think of a reason why he couldn't. Besides, it was rare for Hinata to ask him any kind of favor, no matter how small they might be.

Smiling gratefully, Hinata rushed out of the room, leaving Naruto more baffled than before.

"What's with everyone today," he murmured with a small frown.

Everyone was acting so weird today. Was it one of those days?

Shrugging the issue aside, Naruto went to their designated spot. There was no use over thinking about it now; he'd only ruin his lunch.

* * *

They went outside towards a secluded area in the school grounds. They stopped under a huge oak tree, shading them from the hot rays of the sun. The shade wasn't enough; however, to cool off Sakura's rising temper. She didn't waste any time either in doing exactly what she came here for.

"I heard you asked Hinata out," Sakura stated, watching Kiba carefully. She wanted to hear the truth from him.

Kiba remained unfazed and only regarded her with a jaded glance. He broke the eye contact and simply replied, "So?"

"So? Is that all you have to say?" Sakura demanded, bothered by his lack of concern about the subject.

"What do you want me to say? 'Sorry for what I did'?" Kiba scoffed sarcastically, finally losing the uninterested tone in his voice before adding a touch grimly, "I have nothing to apologize for."

"You bastard!" Sakura exclaimed in disbelief. "How selfish can you be!" She didn't bother to wait for him to say anything in his own defense and continued with her onslaught. "You already have a clear understanding that she _loves_ Naruto and you _still_ went through with it."

"So now I'm the bad guy, huh?" Kiba said with an ironic chuckle.

"How about Hinata's feelings; don't they matter to you? By telling her about your own selfish desires, you're only confusing her. Was that your plan all along or didn't you even bother to think about it?"

"Why bother asking me something you already know the answer to?" Kiba replied, glaring at her coldly. "You've already figured me out. What's more is there to say?"

Sakura started quivering in anger. Damn his attitude! He didn't even care about anybody but himself! "You―"

"That's not true," Hinata's voice suddenly intervened, making the two turn towards her: one in calm interest, and the other in perplexed disbelief.

Sakura frowned, bemused at seeing her best friend defending Kiba. "Hinata…" she was at a loss for words.

How much did she hear anyway?

* * *

"Yo," Naruto greeted with a lopsided grin, seeing Gaara arrive. Finally, he had some company.

Gaara didn't return the enthusiasm and merely asked, looking around the room, "Where's Sakura?"

Oh well, so much for the pleasantries. "She left with Kiba awhile ago." Knowing about Gaara's over protectiveness towards his little sister, Naruto slipped in the reassuring statement just in case, "I'm sure they'll be back soon." He was relieved when Gaara didn't reply, but took a seat across from him. Why create a problem when there wasn't any to begin with? Besides, he was itching for someone to talk to―even if his companion was only a listener type.

Ironically, Gaara was the one that initiated the conversation, opening a new topic. "Regarding our agreement about this plan of yours," Gaara began after a short pause.

Naruto remembered all too well. When Gaara caught him as he was about to send out Sasuke and Sakura's candid photo, Naruto was forced to explain to his friend everything: from Sasuke's relationship to Karin, his objection towards it (which Gaara didn't really care much about) to his plan to bring Sakura and his best friend officially back together again―hopefully, willingly this time (which Gaara cared _very_ much about). At first, Naruto thought that Gaara would agree with his view, but Gaara only threatened him, opposed to the idea.

After a few arguments, Naruto was able to convince Gaara to see his side of it, but he didn't succeed in getting the youngest Sabaku's help. Gaara only agreed to back off until Naruto either failed or succeeded in his mission.

Still, Gaara remained skeptical. This was Uchiha Sasuke they were talking about.

"Yeah, I remember," Naruto nodded. If he failed this mission, Gaara was free to beat the Uchiha up without any interference from him. Assuming that it was because of Sakura, Naruto pointed out, "Sakura-chan's going to be fine, you know. She's much stronger than you think she is."

Gaara's reply, however, gave Naruto more to think about. "I'm not talking about their engagement. Uchiha Sasuke and I go further in the past than that."

* * *

"Kiba-kun was only helping me to get the courage to confess to Naruto-kun," Hinata explained.

Perplexed at the farfetched answer, Sakura was speechless. What was that?

"He told me he was getting tired of seeing Naruto-kun and me so awkward with each other, so he showed me how one should confess to someone. He was just trying to help me, Sakura-chan," Hinata informed her bewildered best friend.

Kiba… was helping them? Then… all she did… what she said… was unnecessary, not to mention cruel. Guilt consumed her; she didn't know.

She turned to Kiba regretfully, wanting to apologize for her rude behaviour. Not knowing where to start, however, only made her stammer, "Kiba… I―"

Kiba didn't wish to accept the apology and said out of sheer disappointment and contempt, "Don't bother. At least I know now what you think of me."

He walked away, leaving a distraught Sakura behind.

Hinata approached Sakura carefully, concerned about her friend. She couldn't help but think this was her fault. They're argument had been about her after all. She felt she was the one to blame for all of it. "Sakura-chan…" Hinata said, placing a gentle and comforting hand on her best friend's shoulder.

"I'm so stupid," Sakura muttered out of self loathing. She actually believed Ami, ruining her budding friendship with Kiba because of it. She was still the same naïve girl as she was before, letting herself get played. How could she not have seen that Ami only wanted to create more trouble for her?

She was such a fool.

* * *

Opening the door with an exhausted sigh, Sakura was left to contemplate on the eventful day. Despite the relief she felt, she still couldn't erase her depression over the argument with Kiba. Everything had been going so well, and she just had to ruin it. Who would've thought that friendships could be destroyed so easily?

Sakura couldn't blame Ami; she only threw the bait towards her direction. It was her fault for being an idiotic fool and not just biting into it, but chewing it up and swallowing it hook, line, and sinker.

No optimistic words or thoughts could make her forget what she had done. She could hear Kiba's last words over and over again… if only she had the power to change it. If only she didn't rush through it like a bull towards a red cloth. If only she had thought about it. If only―

She flopped down on the couch, not knowing how she got there. Her things were left scattered on the ground, messy and forgotten.

She made a mistake―plain and simple.

She closed her eyes, feeling the weight of exhaustion increase to the point where it was too strong to fight with.

But then… how was she supposed to fix it?

"Sakura," a strong and confident voice called out.

Sakura groaned mentally. Why was it when she wanted to be left alone, people liked bothering her? Was a moment of solitude too much to ask? She didn't bother to open her eyes, recognizing the owner of that forceful voice. "Yes, Temari-nee?" she asked equally forcefully albeit exasperatedly.

"Why did you come home so late?" Temari asked worriedly.

"Detention," Sakura replied languidly. Oh, how she wanted to sleep.

There was an awkward pause before Temari said, "Detention? You're not the type to get into detention."

_Well, there's a first time for everything._ If only she could say that instead, but too tired to audibly form the words, Sakura only grunted, "I don't want to talk about it."

Temari didn't press the issue, but continued being the caring older sister and reprimanded Sakura for displaying herself on the couch in such an indecent manner. Forcing her little sister to get up and go to her room, Temari decided to end their conversation on a lighter note. "If it'll make you feel better, let's have dinner tomorrow―all of us."

Sakura couldn't show her enthusiasm towards the news out of sheer exhaustion and only muttered, "Why not today?"

"I'm going out today." Temari didn't bother waiting for Sakura's confused question, knowing that it took all the girl's will power to still stay conscious and explained, "I'm having dinner with the Naras today."

Naras? "Shikamaru's family? Since when have you been that close?" Wait a second, weren't they going out already?

Having a clear picture of what her little sister was thinking, Temari corrected Sakura before she could ask, "We're not together. I only got closer to his mom after I met her when I started tutoring him at his house. You can say I'm closer to his mom than to him, but we're just friends."

Sakura nodded, too tired to argue. She started walking out of the room, when Temari added, "The menu has already been given to the chef, so don't even try touching the stove."

In other words, stay away from the kitchen. Sheesh, why were her siblings so against her about cooking anyway?

She wasn't that bad of a cook. She wasn't perfect, but she could cook a decent meal.

Who needed classy, restaurant-style gourmet meals anyway?

* * *

With time left to spare, Temari quickly went up to her room, almost slamming into a wall whenever she turned too abruptly in her haste. Once inside her room she strode into her walk-in closet at the far end of the room and knelt in front of a white, rectangular, medium-sized box. Due to its well-kept condition, it was hard to tell how long the box had been stored. It didn't look new, and it didn't have enough tears or dents to be able to identify what it was concealing.

She had taken good care of it, but it had to be returned to Sakura soon. With the Uchiha company party coming up, there was no point in keeping it hidden any longer. It should prove to be more useful with Sakura to help her face the coming ordeal.

The celebration was going to be formally announced later in the week with only the Uchiha business associates and their family friends invited. Regardless of the broken engagement between their families, they were still invited, out of common courtesy than anything else.

Temari thought of skipping but decided against it. The image of her mother's reaction was enough to make her rethink her decision; she wouldn't win against her anyway. She might as well not bother. It would be too much of a hassle.

Her mind stopped working in an instant. Wait a minute. She just talked mentally like Shikamaru, didn't she?

Great. Guess he'd influenced her more than she realized. Tutoring or not, she had been hanging around him too much that she was starting to think like him.

Maybe if she distanced herself from Nara, she could prevent that from happening. She could skip the dinner with his family. No―that would only be rude, and she liked Nara Yoshino too much to do that to her. Why did she even have to distance herself because of their lazy son? Besides, he had been a great help in boosting her Calculus mark, which would help her breeze through her collage applications.

Taking one last look at the sealed box, Temari walked out of her room. She closed the two consecutive doors shut behind her and walked down the staircase.

Time to go; Shikamaru should be here by now.

* * *

Luckily, Sakura didn't have to wait for the announcement of the upcoming party as Sumire broke the news to her over the phone the next day. They were all present when their mother called that night. It was supposed to be their special time together, but their mother's call in the middle of dinner, only caused it to go downhill from there.

After hearing that their mother was arriving that coming weekend, the Sabaku siblings looked at their sister apprehensively. Sakura, however, remained stoic about the invitation and didn't show even a flicker of surprise.

Seeing Sakura's stiff figure made Temari realize the point of the party. It was only for public relations―a way for them to cease the gossips and media from harping about the issue of Uchiha Sasuke and Haruno Sakura's broken engagement. It was a way to close the subject for good.

Temari didn't like it. It was a business and social stunt put together and for sure, Sakura was going to be gravely affected by it. It was so tempting to tell her little sister not to go.

She was too preoccupied with her pessimistic thoughts that she didn't hear their mother's question until Sakura was already answering it.

"Don't worry, mother. I won't turn down their invitation."

So much for dinner; she just lost her appetite, and she was sure no one in the room felt like eating anymore either.

* * *

It was like a repeat of the first few days when she broke her engagement with Sasuke. She felt like she drew the short straw for luck for this week, leaving her with all these regretful and frustrating days that just couldn't seem to get any better.

The next day didn't feel as bad. She decided to play it by ear and just enjoy the day to the fullest. Class continued with the same routine as usual, but some classes became twice as awkward to go to when she had both Sasuke and Kiba to worry about.

Kiba had stopped talking to her after their argument, and as much as Sakura wanted to remedy the situation, she couldn't find the courage to apologize to him. She couldn't bring herself to face him.

It remained the same with Sasuke. Sakura tried to ignore Karin as she trailed incessantly after him, and even told herself that Akashi Karin looked pathetic chasing the cold Sasuke. Coldly lacking in affection? Where was her proof? Maybe, Sasuke just didn't like showing his affectionate side in public. Karin might have been the only one who had seen that side of him; she was his _fiancée_ after all.

She thought that the worst was over, but as usual, fate adored making her eat her words.

It was a free period, which was given during unexpected days, and the time was used theoretically to enable students to study together. Some took advantage of this time to meet up with fellow classmates and tutors to arrange another study session.

Seeing Hinata leaving to look for her tutor, Sakura couldn't help but hope that Kiba would come and look for her too. She was his tutor after all, and they still needed to go over some material for the upcoming exams. Time passed by and there was still no sign of him.

Well, it was up to him if he didn't want to come, but she couldn't just let things stay like that. She didn't want to feel anxious whenever he was there. If he was going to hide from her, she would just have to go look for him.

She left the study hall, looking for Hinata. She was the only one who could talk some sense into him. At least, that was what she expected. She wandered the halls, searching for any sign of her friend's physical features.

She finally spotted Hinata's long dark hair and rushed towards her best friend in big strides. "Hinata," she called loudly, wanting the Hyuuga heiress to turn towards her.

It was then that Sakura finally saw the identity of Hinata's companion, a student, not much older than them. She had dark hair that was pulled into two buns at the sides of her head. Her eyes were the exact same shade as her hair, which at the moment, were peering at Sakura with a frown on her face at her unexpected arrival.

Inspecting the stranger from head to toe, Sakura saw the difference on how the girl wore her uniform. She dressed accordingly and presentably, not giving off too much skin that would be called improper but in a much more classy and professional sense.

A model student; was this Hinata's tutor?

Hinata smiled at Sakura's approaching form, "Sakura-chan, I was just about to head back."

Sakura returned the eye contact, missing the sudden change in the stranger's expression. "Sorry, I just wanted you to do something for me after―if that's okay." She was about to ask the identity of the stranger, but was brought to a stop when she saw the stranger glaring at her mysteriously.

Hinata, not noticing what was going on, shifted to make the introductions. "Ah yes, Sakura-chan, this is Tenten-chan, my tutor―"

"I guess you really don't remember me," Tenten interjected swiftly and scoffed with a shake of her head, "Figures."

Sakura, still taken aback by Tenten's abrupt change in mannerism remained silent. Did they know each other from somewhere?

Tenten didn't bother to wait for Sakura's answer, nor did she waste any more time and simply introduced herself. "I'm Leung Tenten, the daughter of a Chinese diplomat. I lived originally in Hong Kong, but I chose to stay here for personal reasons. I can speak both Cantonese and Mandarin fluently and I can converse in other Asian languages like Korean, Vietnamese, Arabic and Japanese. I'm not that good with the English language yet, but I'm doing my best to improve."

Sakura was perplexed at hearing the long biography. Why was she telling her this?

Hinata felt the same. She couldn't understand what Tenten-chan was doing. There was no need to talk about her whole life story. Where was she going with this?

"I volunteer at a hospital during weekends and I have been taking care of a patient named Sukishiro Tsubasa ever since she was admitted there approximately two years ago."

Sakura couldn't even gasp, too shocked at the revelation. Two years… Tsubasa had been admitted there since… then that would mean…? No… it couldn't be.

"You don't even know, do you," Tenten said expectantly.

Sakura looked away; she couldn't handle the intensity of Tenten's gaze.

"Tell me, how much do you know about Tsubasa's illness?" No, that wasn't it. "Do you even _know_ what Tsubasa's illness is?"

Tsubasa's illness? Sakura didn't bother to ask too much about it. All she knew was that one day she found out too late about Ami's plan on ruining Tsubasa. It only became worse when she was told by the victim that she was raped and that she got sick because of it.

It was now that Sakura realized that she didn't even know what sickness it was. Was it an STD… but what kind? After all these years, she knew nothing. It was like―

"Do you even care about her at all?" was Tenten's frank question, unknowingly finishing Sakura train of thought. She couldn't afford to be sympathetic when she was telling Sakura this as a favor to Tsubasa. The girl was dying and Tenten had enough in seeing the girl suffer because of Sakura's ignorance: "Because if you are her friend, then you'll stop coming by the hospital for her sake. She might not want to tell you this, but I can tell that your visits are only hurting her."

She was hurting Tsubasa, was she? She thought she had grown up a little, but two years had passed when she made a promise of being a better friend to Tsubasa. Oh, how she had wasted those two years. She had been so blind for not realizing it, and she was supposed to be her friend.

Seeing as she had accomplished her duty, Tenten didn't bother to stay any longer, but she couldn't help but throw a last concluding statement. "I don't know what Hinata or Ino see in you, but I must say that I'm not impressed."

It was only when Tenten started walking away from them that Sakura got her voice back. "Wait," she called out firmly, but faltered at her friend's name, "Tsubasa… what's her illness?"

Tenten debated whether she should tell her, but it didn't take too long to make a decision. If Haruno Sakura had been ignorant for two years, what was the harm in finally enlightening the girl? Their conversation would have been pointless if she didn't let Sakura know. "Cystic fibrosis; Tsubasa won't last for more than a year."

Hinata didn't bother to watch Tenten leave and looked at her best friend empathetically. So Tenten-chan knew the mysterious Tsubasa's identity and the secret that Sakura-chan knew nothing about. Hinata knew close to nothing about Tsubasa and Sakura-chan's relationship, nor did she know what Sakura thought about Tsubasa's illness. However, despite the shocking news, Hinata couldn't go with Tenten's point of view.

How could Sakura-chan be to blame for something she couldn't change?

Seeing Sakura tremble in despair and guilt only made Hinata's determination stronger. She wanted to help her best friend somehow, for that was what being a true friend should be all about.

"Sakura-chan," Hinata tried to find comforting words but halted herself, afraid of saying the wrong thing.

"Even now… I'm still the same." Sakura clenched her fist into a tight ball, trying to cope with her messed up emotions. "I haven't changed at all."

It was then that Hinata threw away her all reason aside. If she wasn't going to say anything, then she might as well just leave. It was either be there for her friend, or not be there at all. "I remember… I started doubting Sakura-chan a day before your birthday party when your personal life was brought to light. I always thought you were just a normal girl who got into this school because you were smart. I envied you because of it and I wanted to be your friend. I never expected that you were also a rich girl like me… and that you struggled with the same issues I did.

"I became angry that you didn't bother to tell me anything about yourself and mostly because you didn't trust me enough to keep your secrets." When Sakura finally turned to her with tear-glazed eyes and an apologetic frown, Hinata gave her an understanding smile. "It was later that I realized that you had your reasons for not telling me. The situation might be different… but I think it has the same basis. I didn't ask you the reason why and we fought because of it.

"It's okay to feel bad, but don't you think you should ask Tsubasa-san about it first? Maybe there's a reasonable explanation."

"Hinata," Sakura said with a relieved sigh. What would she do without her?

"I want to go with you though." She thought it was best if Sakura didn't go alone. Besides, she wanted to meet this Tsubasa herself and see just who changed Sakura's life. "Is that okay?"

"Yeah," Sakura sighed and slowly nodded. Maybe that would be a good idea.

* * *

Their journey was quiet, yet surprisingly, it didn't feel awkward at all. The silence was actually somewhat comforting. She didn't feel as nervous as she did two days ago when Hinata suggested they go and see Tsubasa. She didn't think much of dragging Hinata with her, but all she felt now was the relief of having someone there with her.

They were already in the hospital, walking towards Tsubasa's room. Who would've thought that this place would be their regular meeting place two years ago?

_She didn't think much of the new student that transferred two weeks after Sai. After a momentary glace, Sakura didn't bother to listen to the girl's introduction. Her posture was awkward and her uniform looked ordinary. Two pigtails hung at the lower part of each side of her elongated head that were tied into knots that could be similar to braids. If she needed to describe her mouth, she would say that it was as thin and long as an ape's mouth. She didn't know if her round spectacles were only magnifying those things known as eyes, but they certainly were too round for her liking. She kinda reminded Sakura of a bug._

_Sakura turned away, not bothering to pay attention. She didn't care about the new girl's interests, or where she would sit. It was plain and simple; she just wasn't interested at all._

_She didn't even realize that this same girl was the one who was with Sai when she finally snapped at him, slapping him for the first time. All she could think about was her argument with Sai; the new transfer student was the least of her problems. She barely even remembered her, let alone thought that they would become friends._

_It was during one of her visits to her father's grave that she formally met Sukishiro Tsubasa. She looked completely different. Sakura didn't recognize her at first when she saw her with Sai standing over a grave. Due to her argument with Sai, Sakura didn't bother to break the peaceful yet weighty atmosphere around them and went on to her own destination._

_Too focused with a spiritual conversation with her father, Sakura didn't even notice that Tsubasa had come to her until she heard someone say her name. She was finally able to look at Tsubasa and see the significant difference in her features._

_Gone was her geeky persona and what she saw now was a pretty young girl. With her lenses out of the picture, Sakura could finally see the soft glow of her chestnut eyes. The messy bush on Tsubasa's head that Sakura thought of as either ropes or braids were now free from their haphazard constriction, and flowed in natural waves down her back. It was as dark as night and Sakura could've sworn she could see a tint of blue due to the light of the sun. Her attire wasn't revealing but respectable, influenced by the latest fashion trend: a simple blue shirt topped with a white blazer, matched with a knee-length skirt._

_Not knowing the girl standing before her at the time, Sakura only stared at her warily. She wasn't kept in suspense too long when the girl gave her an understanding smile and introduced herself. "I can see that you don't recognize me. My name is Sukishiro Tsubasa, Sai's childhood friend."_

_Sakura couldn't see the connection. Why was Sai's childhood friend suddenly introducing herself to her?_

_Realizing that Sakura still couldn't recognize her, Tsubasa giggled and said, "I'm the new transfer student and I was the one who was with Sai the day you ambushed him. I'm sorry if I confused you."_

_Sakura's eyes widened in realization, coloring instantly. She never thought that she would do something so embarrassing._

_Tsubasa tried to ease Sakura's discomfort by diverting the conversation elsewhere. "May I ask: who is it that you have lost?" She averted her gaze towards the grave, reading the tablet._

_The sight of Tsubasa's eyes softening did help Sakura from pushing aside her mortification. She knew that look, having experienced a similar feeling first hand. This person… had also lost someone she cared about._

"_My father," Sakura answered, looking back at the tomb distantly._

_She never expected the feeling of losing someone to help her bond with another person. Maybe, that was what made Tsubasa special._

She cherished their friendship and decided that she would continue to do so until the end. Though, she never expected it would turn out like this.

She heard Sai's voice through the opened door from the hall, but it wasn't his voice that shattered those thoughts of friendship, it was his conversation with Tsubasa that did.

"I'm done pretending. I may have tried to ignore my feelings for Sakura, but you're worse than I am. Stop pretending to be a supporting friend to her, when I know you can barely control your anger whenever she's around."

"How am I supposed to do that when she's the one who _forgot_ about the whole thing because of her accident?"

"Then you shouldn't have pretended in the first place."

A feminine scoff was heard, "You make it sound so easy. You should be more grateful when I didn't reveal your plan to her."

She felt the cold from somewhere on her feet, and the numbness that came with it shook through her entire body. The friendship she tried to preserve was all but a hoax―an act. She had been lied to―again.

She was blindsided by a betrayal she never expected, but at the back of her mind, she already expected it. It should've been okay, when she betrayed Tsubasa first, but she had hoped that that wouldn't be the case.

Fed up with everything, she ran away, as fast as her legs could carry her.

Any betrayal, no matter what form, was something no one can be expected to get through the first try, it at all.

_**TBC**_

* * *

**A/N: **Before anyone accuses me of bashing Tenten, I would like to defend myself and say that she knows Tsubasa since she spends time with her. Frankly speaking, they're friends, and friends protect each other. That's all she's doing. Besides Kishimoto not giving Tenten any character at all, I couldn't think of any role to give her but this. And no, Kiba and Sakura are only friends.

It should be obvious by now that I'm trying to give many characters here a role, which only makes the story longer, but it won't be a good story if it only revolved around Sakura and Sasuke. That would be too boring and unrealistic.

Before I stop writing this long note, I do have news; however, that should prove to be critical since it is getting harder to write this story with less than nine (approximately) chapters left. It's just like how it was in my other fic, which was eventually discontinued since I lost interest and went to another project.

No, I'm not trying to be a―what do you call it―review whore. I'm just trying to avoid doing the same thing as before but with the fic almost coming to a close, it's getting harder and harder for me to write it. I'm just giving you guys a heads up just in case it takes a long time to update. I would hope not. It's difficult tying up all the loose ends.

I am trying to remedy this itching desire to start a new story by making it into a one-shot first to see if enough people are interested. If anyone asks, it's a lemon, a whole new category that I have never tried before.

* * *

**Chapter 27―Things Left Forgotten**

"What is this?" Sakura asked, looking at the box in front of her in wonder.

"It belongs to you. I think the contents inside will help you make a decision whether you go to the Uchihas' party or not. If you do decide to go through with it, it should give you enough courage to face whatever will happen there," Temari replied calmly, not giving anything away. "I know that you're aware that in that party, they'll force Uchiha Sasuke to formally announce his fiancée."

Sasuke was going to have to choose between them: her or Karin. She looked at the sealed box hopefully and prayed that it would also guide her towards the right path, whether to pick Sasuke or go back with Sai.

* * *

**Updated: **October 31, 2010


	27. Things Left Forgotten

**Engagement On Hold**

**Summary:** (AU) Uchiha Sasuke is Konoha High's reigning prince. Haruno Sakura is…? Who is she again? What happens when the guy everybody knows finds himself engaged to the girl nobody knows?

**Genre:** Romance/Humor/Drama

**Pairings:** Sasuke/Sakura, Naruto/Hinata, Shikamaru/Temari

**Author:** pei-chan

**Disclaimer:** Wouldn't it be nice if Sasuke and Sakura were really engaged in the Naruto series? Then again, that would only occur in our dreams… ne?

**A/N: **I'm sorry for making it seem that I'm abandoning this story, but I'm not. I was just warning you guys that updates might take longer and longer, but look―an update after one month! Being sick does give time for a person to reflect on oneself―let's not forget giving time to write! Even when I'm bedridden for three days I'm still kickin', er, working ain't it nice. Oh, and what I mean by work is writing this piece right here. See how much I love you guys.

Expect the next chapter before the end of the year. I will meet the deadline―promise!

* * *

**Chapter 27―Things Left Forgotten**

"Ah―Sakura-chan!" Hinata called out towards Sakura's retreating form. She didn't bother running after her best friend, seeing that she had already gone too far. She didn't expect Sakura to suddenly run away like that. Was it because of what was said inside the room in front of them?

She didn't have time to analyze the situation further when she barely caught sight of Sai's figure zooming past her and running towards Sakura's direction. She tuned in shock and saw as he got smaller and smaller.

Figuring that she would only create a bigger problem if she followed them, she walked towards the room instead. When she got to the entrance, the occupant immediately noticed her presence and turned towards her inquisitively.

So this girl was Tsubasa-san.

* * *

She hated this―this helpless feeling.

She barely even got out of the front doors when a hand suddenly grabbed her arm in a firm grip, pulling her back. Whirling around to identify her captor, she was too stunned to comprehend that she said his name, "Sai…"

"I won't let you make the same mistake as before," he declared, feeling her cease trying to get her arm free. "Are you trying to run away again?"

How could she have forgotten? She did the same thing then. She was about to repeat her mistake again―all because of her overwhelming emotions.

* * *

_The times she had together with Sakura were bliss. She didn't expect to laugh like a child, with no worries over the future. It was as if the huge weight in her chest was carried off elsewhere. For the first time after Shin's death, she felt normal again._

_After paying their respects to their deceased loved ones, Tsubasa didn't expect Sakura to accompany her to a place where they could talk. She didn't refuse and was even glad to be asked._

_Despite the predictability of the topic of their conversation, Tsubasa didn't mind. She even laughed it off when she was suddenly asked about Sai. "After your argument the other day, Sai didn't think it would be best to stick around and talk to you."_

"_Then why did you?" Sakura asked._

_Tsubasa smiled, "I wanted to meet you, is all. I wanted to personally meet the person Sai talks so much about."_

_Perplexed, Sakura couldn't help but gasp, "Me? Why would he talk about me?"_

_Tsubasa didn't know herself, but the challenge to figure out what Sai saw in Sakura was worth pursuing. Their meeting ended pleasantly, saying that they would see each other in school, but it was only an understatement. Regardless of having the same homeroom, Sakura treated her differently within school grounds. She was ignored flat out, which Tsubasa went to confirm at the end of school._

_All she was given was the excuse, "I want to hang out with different people in school, but we can hang out after we get out if you want."_

_Tsubasa didn't object. Even if it didn't sound fair, Sakura seemed reasonable enough and she decided to let it go. She was blinded by the happiness of someone wanting to be her friend. She had been too stupid for not opening her eyes._

_School might have been lonely, but Sakura remained true to her word and spent time with her after school. Thinking that it was good for Sakura to be sociable, Tsubasa remained a supporting friend._

_However, perceptive that he was, Sai asked her about it one time when he was walking her home. "I don't know whether to call you stupid or a fool. That girl is only using you." He didn't even let her speak up and went on, "And don't tell me you're too blind to notice."_

"_Maybe," Tsubasa chuckled, seeing the irony of the situation. "I guess she's affecting me the same way she does with you."_

_Sai scoffed, "Nonsense."_

_Leave it to him to criticize her and suspect everyone around him in one statement. That was the last time he made the effort in mentioning Sakura negatively around her. For now, she was on her own. She had been so used to having someone watch her every move just in case of an attack: first her parents, Shin and now Sai._

_It was nice to have a feeling of independence once in a while. They continued with the same cycle for a time: strangers at school and friends elsewhere. They talked about the silliest things, from small talks to imparting things about their personal lives and the topic that would initiate their conversation: Sai._

_Sakura couldn't seem to help herself and kept asking about him, but Tsubasa didn't mind. She actually looked forward to those conversations._

"_You know, I told Sai what we talked about the other day," Tsubasa smiled, stifling a mischievous giggle._

_Simultaneously, her friend's eyes widened into the shape of dinner plates and she flushed as red as a strawberry when she realized what Tsubasa meant. "You didn't!" she gasped out with a groan of disbelief. "You did," she eventually sighed when she saw Tsubasa's unwavering smile. "Oh no," Sakura whimpered in fear. Now Sai knew about her feelings for him. Damn it. What was she supposed to do now?_

_Deciding to put an end to Sakura's unnecessary worry, Tsubasa brushed the anxious atmosphere aside with a laugh. "I'm sorry, I couldn't resist," Tsubasa giggled. "You guys just look so cute together."_

_Her fear didn't dissipate, but hearing Tsubasa laugh gave her the urge to laugh with her. Hiding a small smile, Sakura turned away out of annoyance. "Now I wouldn't be able to face him anymore."_

"_I'm not sure that's true," Tsubasa said with certain speculation. "He acts differently around you."_

"_Different?"_

"_He's changed because of you," her tone grew soft as she smiled thoughtfully. "You're affecting him in a way he never thought anyone would, so he tries to convince himself that you're nothing more but another girl to him."_

_Sakura looked away, not believing what she was hearing, "You're saying…"_

"_I think he likes you."_

_Tsubasa knew that it would be wrong to assume things, but she thought it wouldn't be right to hide that kind of detail to Sakura; not when it could bring her closer to Sai. Her assumption was proven to be correct when she saw Sakura's newfound determination._

_It wasn't long until the tense atmosphere around Sai and Sakura diminished to the point that they were almost always together. She felt glad about the improvement of their relationship, but there was also the presence of loneliness―like she was being left out. As they got closer, the further away she felt._

_No matter how strong her desire to tell them her anxiety, however, she didn't act on it and kept quiet. The thought of ruining their developed relationship caused her to hesitate and do nothing at all. It wasn't long until all of her pent up feelings surfaced and burst out. It took three separate incidences for everything to fall apart._

_It happened a few weeks later when she accidentally eavesdropped on Sakura and Ami's conversation._

"_I'm amazed. I never thought that you would be this creative, Sakura. You used that girl stupendously, and she got you closer to Sai. I never even thought of doing it that way." Ami chuckled, "You really are in a league of your own."_

_Ami's statement wasn't enough to shake Tsubasa up though; unfortunately, Sakura's silence did. It was if a bucket of ice cold water was thrown on her face, making her face reality. Why wasn't Sakura saying anything? Why wasn't she denying it?_

_Despite all the pressing questions and doubts, Tsubasa decided to believe in the best of Sakura and ignored the incident. She pretended that she heard nothing of it and didn't ask Sakura anything about it._

_It didn't matter what anyone said. As long as Sakura wanted to be friends with her, nothing else mattered._

_Before a week had passed, Tsubasa was shown Sakura's true colors. When she was eventually embarrassed in front of the whole class, Tsubasa felt numb all over. They thought they were clever, attacking her while they thought Sai wasn't there, leaving her with no other ally but Sakura._

_Sakura must've seen Sai by the doorway as well, averting her gaze from one point to the next: where Sai stood unmoving just outside the door towards Tsubasa's helpless form._

_Tsubasa could vaguely remember the topic of the argument, with only the feeling of betrayal fresh in her mind. Why weren't they doing anything? She thought she heard her own sardonic laughter. She shouldn't expect anything from Sai. He only knew how to criticize her useless self when they were together. The duty that his brother had left behind proved to be too much of a burden to him._

_What about Sakura? Why was she merely standing there like a frozen statue? Was she really her friend? Bitterness swelled within her. The hope and expectations she had from Sakura shattered like broken glass._

_How could she have been so naïve? She should never have forgotten. She had always been alone―ever since the beginning. Why had she hoped that she would be saved? Whether it was from bullying or her sickness, it was inevitable._

_Hope would only destroy her._

_She told herself not to expect anything else from Sakura until she received a text message from Sakura later that day, asking to apologize in person. She felt relieved and glad that Sakura still cared about her and went to the meeting place, having no ill will towards Sakura since she had already forgiven her._

_However, the message was nothing but a farce, when she walked into a trap. Sakura had set her up to be raped. That proved to be the worst betrayal of all, and one thing she could never forgive._

When she finished the story, she looked back at the pretty long haired heiress with no apparent intensity. Hinata gave nothing away, remaining impassive and calm. Tsubasa became angry that Hinata lacked any sort of compassion towards her problem, but remained quiet, tensely waiting for her response.

There was a reasonable explanation towards Hinata's callousness to Tsubasa's past. Somehow, she found her own reaction rather puzzling. At first, she thought it was because of Sakura, but as she dug for a deeper meaning, she noticed the similarities between the two of them. Regardless of the differences of their circumstances, Hinata couldn't deny it―she saw herself in Tsubasa.

Unfortunately, no matter how close Hinata could relate to the girl in front of her, she felt little empathy towards her. Tsubasa reminded Hinata of her younger self; the girl that she was until she met Naruto.

As an heiress of a noble and respectable family, she was taught to keep her feelings to herself to prevent from showing any weakness just in case it could be used against their family. It wasn't until she met Naruto did she realize that it wasn't wrong to show her true emotions, even at the risk of being hurt.

Then Sakura came along and showed her that being vulnerable and weak was okay and any faults shouldn't be frowned upon but accepted. To be weak shouldn't be feared, but a sign to welcome change. It was a chance to become a better person.

Those two important people in Hinata's life made a great impact in changing her outlook in reality, but Tsubasa didn't seem to be as fortunate.

She didn't judge Tsubasa, not knowing much about the girl besides hearing her story. She didn't think more about it and focused more on the falling out of Tsubasa and Sakura's friendship. Hearing about Tsubasa's obvious dislike towards Sakura only made Hinata sad. She felt bad about their broken friendship. If their situation had been different, where would those two be now?

_I wonder…_

"Tsubasa… san," There was something off about the whole thing though. If Tsubasa really proclaimed to hate Sakura, then why would she pretend for two years that nothing had changed? Why continue the charade of friendship that was nonexistent? "You hate Sakura-chan, don't you?"

Something else must've happened. I wasn't logical to befriend the person who tried to get you raped. Hinata still had a hard time believing that part of Tsubasa's story. She just couldn't think that Sakura would do that.

Tsubasa didn't hesitate with her reply, "Yes."

Revenge was out of the picture. It looked like Tsubasa was torturing herself more than she was hurting Sakura. It just didn't make any sense.

Hinata was missing something.

* * *

"Is that the reason why you came to my school; to get revenge on me?"

"At first," Sai replied. Sakura could've almost sworn that she didn't hear any sarcasm in his tone.

She didn't ask more about the issue, moving on to another one. "And you're saying that you gave up on that now?"

"Yeah."

Could she really believe that? "Why?" she couldn't restrain herself from asking.

His solemnity remained, but was now tainted with annoyance. "If you want me to tell you that it's because 'I love you', it's not going to happen."

Sakura wasn't able to suppress her responsive chuckle quickly enough. He really had the knack for breaking up tense situations, no matter how serious it may be. She didn't mind it this time though. In any case, it actually helped in lifting her mood a little bit. "You haven't changed one bit. You're still as clueless as before." When she saw his expression change questioningly, she continued with a smile. "You do know that you won't win my favor that way."

"What? You want me to beg for forgiveness?"

"No," Sakura shook her head with another light chuckle. "Not at all; I just want you to be honest with me. That's how I fell for you, after all."

The past tense term immediately pissed him off. He didn't like the sound of that word 'fell'. "Why doubt me now? You said so yourself: that I always tell you the truth."

_Even if you usually did in a blunt and offensive manner_, Sakura thought wryly.

"I wouldn't be joking about something like that." Seeing Sakura finally looking at him closely gave him the perseverance to keep going. Her guard was waning. "Uchiha Sasuke doesn't love you. He made that perfectly clear when his fiancée came back the moment you broke your engagement with him."

Sakura frowned, pondering over his accurate statement. So, was Sai saying that Karin's arrival wasn't a coincidence? That Sasuke had planned everything?

"He doesn't want you. The one he wants is Akashi Karin."

She knew that already. There was no need to say it. It was obvious that he didn't think much, nor did he care about her. She was just…

"He wants someone else, but I want you. Stop torturing yourself and take the easy way out right in front of you."

Was that an offer? Did he just imply that he wanted her back regardless of her lingering feelings for Sasuke? The Sai she knew wouldn't do anything that would put him in a vulnerable position. Was this really him? "You should know firsthand that that option never ends well."

That was it. He didn't want to deal with it anymore. Her stupid stubbornness was starting to get on his nerves. "If you want to continue being the stupid girl that you are, then just keep pinning hopelessly for a guy that doesn't love you."

"Are you talking about now or before?" Sakura asked, seeing the implication within his statement. "Or are you talking about both?"

Damn her. That was the very aspect of hers that he had always hated. He didn't use to understand how or why she could love anyone so strongly and unconditionally. However, it was also what he had admired most about her. She had managed to teach him what his brother tried to show him when he was still alive, and she did it without even realizing it―another thing that irritated him.

Yes, she was a fool for clinging onto someone that she _fancied_ being in love with, but only because that person wasn't him. Not that he would tell her that anytime soon.

When Sai didn't reply, Sakura's mind was swept away by her unknown conflict with Tsubasa. "So… Tsubasa hates me after all this time," she said it out loud to confirm that it wasn't her imagination. She didn't need Sai to tell her that it was true, but hearing him say that it was only made her even more depressed.

Before she could even blame herself once more, Sai countered her thoughts by saying, "You're not the one to blame for that: whether it's about your broken friendship or when she was _almost_ raped."

Her reaction was immediate. Their gazes locked after the pregnant pause, and her eyes widened from that revelation. She wasn't… she wasn't raped then?

"I saved her just in time."

She didn't even hear her own reply when she gave out a sigh of relief, "Thank goodness." She didn't care if she missed the bigger picture or if Tsubasa had been using that lie against her. She was just glad that Tsubasa wasn't harmed.

* * *

It was one thing to sit on the dinner table eating with his demanding―er, controlling mother and passive father, but to have his tutor included in the list wasn't his idea of a quiet and relaxing time. Time seemed to move slower and slower, but maybe that was because he was looking at it every ten seconds.

Couldn't it end already?

He just couldn't understand why Temari would always agree to his mother's invitations, which was becoming more frequent as of late. At first he thought it was because she adored his mother, but after last week, she had always came over for dinner every single day that he didn't know what to think anymore. He really had no hope in understanding what was going on with those two.

"So, Temari-chan, you're graduating this year, aren't you? What career path are you pursuing?" Yoshino asked, after taking a sip from her glass of champagne and setting it down on the table.

Looking up from her meal, Temari answered casually, "I'm thinking of leaving Japan."

"Really," Yoshino said, surprised at Temari's decision. "Where are you going?"

The rest of the table also had the same reaction, considering that both father and son stopped eating and swung their gazes towards their guest.

Temari wasn't bothered at the prospect of telling them her future plans. "I'm going to the United States to learn about the performing arts."

As an accomplished entertainer in the movie industry, Yoshino smiled at the pleasant irony, "I didn't think I would affect you that much."

"Actually, my goal is to build a theatre here in the future, and before I can do that, I want to learn from the best place."

Smart girl; it was clear to Yoshino what Temari's plan was. Movies produced and released by American cinematic production companies were viewed in an international scale. They were good at attracting an international audience and Temari wanted to learn from that. But with a great opportunity comes a huge risk, and that was what Yoshino admired about this young girl. She was braver than Yoshino ever was in the past. She wanted to watch Temari and see how far she could go.

Shikamaru didn't listen to the rest of their conversation. So that was her plan, was it? She was planning on going to the United States. That was… three months from now.

_I see how it is._

* * *

Any trouble she had during her meeting with Tsubasa the day before was pushed away by the Uchihas' party being talked about by majority of the student body the next day. As usual, Ino wasn't late with the news. In fact, she was the first one who bothered her about it.

"What are you wearing for the party?"

Huh? How did Ino know she was going? It was then that she accidentally eavesdropped on two students gossiping behind her back. Oh right, they were engaged once. It would be a mistake _not_ to invite her family. It didn't take much effort to drown out the noise around them, even if they were all talking about the same thing. "Do we have to discuss this now, Ino?"

"Yes," Ino stated firmly with a stubborn frown.

"And how is it that you're invited as well?" Sakura asked halfheartedly.

"Well, you know," Ino chuckled, running her hand through her hair like she was in a photo shoot. "I am an internationally famous model."

Sakura only stared at her blankly, feeling too numb to care. She had been through so much this past few days that another incident wouldn't be news to her. "So?"

Ino dropped the arrogant front and said, "Actually, a lot of famous people in Japan are invited to the party. That includes me and Shikamaru's family. Even the media got a free pass on getting inside to witness the event. I'm not really sure what the main reason is but…" she trailed off, only to continue worriedly, "I think they're using our presence to attract the media so that they can announce something that will put a stop to all of the rumors circulating about you and Sasuke."

In other words, their invitation was only a pretense to show that there was nothing wrong between their families, and that both families have agreed to the annulment of the engagement.

"I don't know if this is true but they told me at work that Sasuke will have to announce personally if your engagement is really broken or not."

They were going to use the media to circulate Sasuke's decision, were they? Not that it would be hard for him to make his decision, when Karin's presence was answer enough.

Sakura was starting to regret telling her mother she was coming to the party. If her presence was only going to get taken advantage off, she might as well not go at all.

* * *

Naruto wasn't one for conflict when it came to his friends. Whenever he had a disagreement with them he preferred solving the problem as peacefully as possible, unless the opposite party was just a stubborn and arrogant mule like his best friend. Sure, he may have had a few brawls with Kiba, but not over something so cliché like this.

"I'm in love with Hinata," Kiba confessed bluntly.

What? He did not just say what Naruto thought he did. Not in a million years would he ever expect Kiba to have feelings for Hinata. "Did I hear you right? Are you telling me that you're―that you have feelings for Hinata?" He couldn't say 'in love'; he just couldn't accept it.

"That's right, and I already confessed to her," Kiba said smugly, "Yesterday. I guess this means, I win."

As expected, Naruto lost all his sense of reason and charged towards his friend, grabbing his collar aggressively. "You bastard," Naruto growled angrily.

Kiba didn't even flinch and only smirked at how predictable he was, and even added out arrogance, "Too bad for you." It didn't take much to bring Naruto over the edge. Kiba knew that he was going to get the beating of his life, but he did nothing to stop Naruto's rampage. It was to be expected.

"Stop it!"

With his clenched fist still in midair, Naruto turned his head to the side only to mutter in surprise, "Hinata-chan."

Kiba remained silent, seeing that Hinata's friend by her side did the same. _Sakura…_ so she was here too. Their gazes locked, but he quickly turned away when he didn't see her usual condemning stare. He couldn't read her expression.

"Naruto-kun, please, don't do anything rash," Hinata pleaded gently. "Kiba-kun didn't do anything wrong."

Naruto couldn't take the meaning of her statement and turned away dejectedly. His hand loosened and dropped by his side. "So… are you two going out then?"

Hinata gasped, not realizing the implication her previous words had until now. "No―that's not true!" she protested strongly. She had to make him understand. She couldn't let him think that way. "I…" she wasn't even able to process her train of thought and blurted out, "Naruto-kun is the only one I love!"

When she saw Naruto's eyes widen in shock, she stifled a gasp by bringing her hand instinctively to her mouth. Did she just say what she thought she did? Oh no, why did she do that?

She felt like running away, too ashamed to have revealed her feelings right out into the open and in front of _him_ too. She was too embarrassed. However, before her chaotic feelings got complete control over her body, Kiba uncaringly interrupted.

"I know when I've been rejected. I'm out of here." Already free from Naruto's confinement, Kiba walked away past Hinata's abashed form.

Even when he had gotten a good distance away from the couple, Kiba knew that he couldn't be alone just yet.

"Wait," Sakura's firm voice spoke behind him.

"Following me; what do you want?"

"I want to talk to you," Sakura replied solemnly.

"Well, I don't want to talk to you," Kiba argued easily. He thought she was going to continue disagreeing with him, but he saw her expression melted vulnerably in an instant.

"I know," Sakura said softly, "I want to talk to you anyway." She had already thought this through. She would apologize when she had the chance, and it was here. Why was it so hard to utter a simple apology? Uncertain how she was going to apologize, she went on about something else, "Naruto… he was part of your plan too, was he? You knew you were going to get beaten up if you said that, idiot."

Kiba remained silent, making Sakura wonder if he was now unwilling to participate with the conversation. That was all it took to finally pry the apology out of her.

"I'm sorry; what I said the other day was out of line," Sakura said earnestly.

"Don't be," Kiba finally replied, "You were right actually."

Sakura frowned questioningly, wondering why he was saying that.

"Bringing those two together wasn't my intention. I'm not that selfless," Kiba chuckled, as he reflected on himself. "I wanted to confess to Hinata and ask, but I thought about what you said and I couldn't go through with it."

What she said? But―"I didn't say anything," Sakura muttered in confusion.

"Yeah, you didn't, but I knew what you were going to say and I stopped myself." Kiba gave a lopsided grin and said, "The thought of hearing you complain again was too much for my ears to handle."

Sakura smiled, glad that she was with the old Kiba again. "You really are a fool," she uttered in relief. It was flattering that he actually thought of her before confessing to Hinata. It was very sweet of him, even if he rarely showed it. He was a great guy, and a person she was glad to be friends with.

"Actually, I was never mad at you. I just wanted to see that depressed look on your face," Kiba suddenly admitted proudly.

On second thought, she didn't want to be friends with him at this moment. She understood now. So he wanted to humiliate her, did he? "I'm going to kill you, Inuzuka Kiba," Sakura snarled, glaring at him viciously.

At least, she had a relationship that was going well, even though she wanted to murder him at the moment.

* * *

"So… what are you wearing this weekend?"

Sakura thought of shooting Kiba for mentioning the two things she didn't want mentioned within her hearing.

"Now that you mention it, do you even have anything for this weekend?" Ino asked, joining the conversation.

Great, now Ino was in it, too. Why couldn't this mutt keep his mouth shut? And here she thought eating with just these two would make her lunch a bit more peaceful. She didn't feel so calm at the moment. "Why do you care what I'm wearing? You won't be seeing it anyway."

"Wrong," Kiba chanted smugly, "I've already been invited to the occasion, and as part of the prestigious Inuzuka clan, I have to keep up appearances and go."

"Prestigious? The only importance your family has is to your fellow animals in the animal kingdom, not in high society," Sakura taunted with a scoff.

"Why you," Kiba growled, his temple twitching irritably.

Ignoring their squabble, Ino tried looking deeper into it. "Maybe it's because of your relationship with Sasuke," Ino added helpfully. "Didn't you use to eat lunch together?"

"So? That was all Naruto's doing."

"Still; maybe they consider you one of Sasuke's friends," Ino shrugged.

"The only friend that guy has is Naruto," Kiba mumbled coherently.

"Yeah, that's one trait you guys have in common," Sakura chuckled mockingly.

"At least I'm more popular than you," Kiba sneered.

"Like I care," Sakura shot back, appalled to be compared in such a manner.

"Speaking of which, where's Naruto and Hinata?" Ino asked, attempting to break their escalating quarrel once more. She didn't bother asking about Shikamaru. She knew Shikamaru was somewhere, and she didn't care where he was. He could do whatever he wanted. He was probably with Chouji anyway.

"He said he wanted to be alone," Kiba said.

"Same with Hinata," Sakura added, but as usual, she refused to keep her side comments to herself. "We all know whose fault that is."

"Shut up," Kiba snarled.

"Well that's too bad. You're irritating."

"Am I?" Kiba sounded pleased by the information. "That's good to hear."

"Really? You won't find it so pleasant once I punch you in the face," Sakura threatened with malice. She still hadn't completely cooled off from their dispute earlier.

Ino sighed audibly, bearing in mind that they were arguing once again. Maybe Naruto was right. There might be something going on between these two she knew nothing about.

* * *

Karin looked at her fiancée with uncertainty. Near the end of their lunch break, she noticed him nlooking out the window. Most of the students still hadn't returned, giving the two of them a measure of privacy. She already called his name, but he showed no sign of acknowledging it or of actually hearing her.

Wondering what he could be looking at, she approached the window to take a peak. Her eyes widened instantly. There was Haruno Sakura with Yamanaka Ino and Inuzuka Kiba chatting about absolute nonsense. Karin's irritation grew after seeing the three of them laughing together.

What was so interesting about them?

This was getting ridiculous; he was ignoring her just to look at his ex-fiancée. What was she then? Was she his fiancée or was she a mere substitute? A substitute for that girl―hardly! She had known him first. Then again, two years had passed. Could he actually have fallen in love with Haruno Sakura?

The thought of it made her feel queasy. If that was the case, why would he let his engagement with her be broken? Wait; was that the whole purpose of the party? Was he going to embarrass her in front of everyone by continuing his engagement with Haruno Sakura?

She was about to ask him her significance in his life when he called her name.

"Karin."

She didn't think twice and looked at him.

"I won't leave you, no matter what."

That was enough to erase all the doubts from her mind.

* * *

Due to Ino's unrelenting persistence, Sakura was eventually manipulated into agreeing to go shopping for her attire for the upcoming party that weekend. She still thought that her clothing for the occasion wasn't important, but held her tongue wisely. If Ino wanted to dress her up that badly, she wasn't going to stop her.

Then again, it had been a while since the two of them had actually hung out as friends. It was long overdue. Sakura invited Hinata, not only because the outing would help her forget about her problem for a while, but to prevent Ino from focusing too much on her. However, her plan didn't work when Hinata passed on the invitation, telling them that she already had a dress and to have fun by themselves. It was understandable though, considering what had happened between her and Naruto. Sakura didn't know much about the details either, but the thought of asking about it hadn't crossed her mind.

"What about this? It looks really sexy on you," Ino professed, showing her the blue dress on the rack.

Sakura frowned in disgust at how revealing it was. "How about I just wear my underwear and get it over with."

"You know, you won't get a dress with the way you're acting. You used to like shopping. What made you such a…" Ino trailed off before she could utter the exact description when she saw Sakura give her a sharp glare and abruptly switched to the lame alternative: "… different."

"Well, after a certain someone left, it didn't sound so appealing anymore," Sakura teased, walking away to go through another rack.

"Oh?" Right, she did leave her behind first. "Well, we just have to bring back that thrill, won't we?"

Sakura didn't know whether she should be flattered or annoyed. "Maybe if you just let me wear something simple―"

"I got it!" Ino snapped her fingers ecstatically, and smiled in a mysterious way that Sakura didn't find appealing. "Tell me what color you want."

"For what?"

"Your dress, of course!" Ino answered enthusiastically.

Well, if that was all, then there was no harm done. "Red."

Ino's smile widened in an instant and Sakura became anxious and confused. What could a simple color do? She didn't understand it, and knowing Ino, she wouldn't tell her a thing until it was too late. She didn't like where this was going at all. "Ino," Sakura warned, feeling like it was necessary before Ino would do something drastic.

Her warning was ignored, and Ino didn't even hesitate in dragging Sakura out of the store.

* * *

"I knew you'd be here." She didn't think she would still reach him here. He really was part of the Shogi club, but why was he the last one. Approaching Shikamaru with casual strides, Temari only stared at him as he walked away from her. He didn't want to talk to her, huh? "I never knew you were the president here."

"I'm not," he replied harsher than he intended. "I was left behind to clean up."

At least he wasn't mute, their conversation would actually go somewhere. "What's your problem? I'm just trying to talk to you."

With a sigh, he dropped the shogi board carelessly on the table and turned to face her. "You were using me, weren't you?"

"Is that what you're so uptight about?" Temari frowned in disbelief. She didn't think she would get this from him, but seeing that he wasn't fooling around, she finally answered him. "As an international student, I need to get an A in all my courses if I want to get accepted into a school in the U.S."

"And Math is your only problem?"

Temari nodded, "Exactly."

"So what about the dinners; are you trying to take advantage of my family now?"

"What?" Temari didn't like that accusation. "How dare you say such a thing," she uttered in a deadly whisper.

"Then what is it?"

Temari rolled her eyes, but then figured that his attitude may be the cause of something else. "What is this really about; why do you care so much if I'm leaving or not?"

"I don't―"

"Right," Temari replied sardonically. "What is this really about Shikamaru?"

Shikamaru turned away, unable to look back towards Temari's cool searching gaze. Now that she mentioned it, she was right. When Ino left to forward her career, she also broke her engagement with him. He tired to think nothing of it, but her departure affected him more than he realized. Not that he was in love with Ino or any of that romantic balderdash.

They were childhood friends, so he didn't think much of the engagement. He actually thought it was convenient since they already knew each other. But then, she had to fall in love with someone else. He was pretty certain she left because she didn't want to marry him.

He always hated her for that. Now, the two of them couldn't talk to each other for even one minute without arguing with each other.

Then again, it was also his fault. He did nothing to stop her from leaving. He didn't even react when his parents told him she broke their engagement. It wasn't long before she left the country. If only he talked to her then, their relationship wouldn't be this chaotic now. They probably wouldn't be engaged anyway, but then they would still be _close_ friends who weren't so antagonistically awkward around each other. No matter what other people thought about it, setting childhood friends up to be married just because it was convenient didn't guarantee that the whole thing wouldn't fall apart at the seams if you tried to stitch it together. Some people got along better with each other as individuals, rather than paired as part of a matched set.

"That's it; I'm not helping you anymore," Shikamaru rashly decided.

He tried to be numb about it, but the mention of Temari's departure triggered the feelings of regret he had when Ino left. Damn women and their unpredictability. It made him face his past, which he _really_ wanted to forget.

It didn't only trigger his regret from the past, but it also made Shikamaru aware about something he couldn't believe himself.

Why did the thought of Temari leaving irked him so?

"Fine, be that way," Temari shrugged nonchalantly. She turned away and walked towards the door, but didn't step out, looking back at him. "How strange; I never thought you would be the emotional type. Just to be clear, I was never using you; and whatever your problem is know that everything can't remain the same. Sometimes, no matter how difficult it may be, all you can do is move forward."

* * *

"You better wear that this weekend," Ino warned, leaving out the understandable threat.

"Do I have a choice?" came Sakura's straightforward reply.

"Nope," Ino said simply.

She just had to say it, did she?

It was quiet for a while until Ino asked hesitantly, "Are you sure you're going to the party?" For sure, Akashi Karin would be there and that alone would make it clear what Sasuke's decision was.

Sakura didn't have an answer to give. There was not only hesitation but also apprehension. Anxious to change the subject, she went to a lighter subject. "Do you have someone you like Ino?"

Ino was silent for a while, but understood Sakura's desire to move on to another subject. "If you're asking me if I've moved on from Sasuke, I wasn't really that into him anyway."

Is that so? "So… there's no one?"

"But there's one thing I realized when I was with him," Ino smiled, recalling the time when she finally understood her feelings. "I found out that I only liked him because he reminded me of someone."

Sakura frowned, too engrossed to figure out what Ino meant.

"I guess my feelings for him never really faded after all." She left the country to pursue her career for that reason: she wanted to forget him. It took two years and a short pretend relationship with Uchiha Sasuke to make her realize that she hadn't actually dealt with her feelings for him.

Finally comprehending Ino's statement, Sakura gasped in shock and whispered his name, "Sai."

"Yeah, imagine… until now I'm still hung up on him."

But that would mean… "Ino," Sakura put a regretful hand on her shoulder. Her best friend still had lingering feelings for the person who was now pursuing her. How could she tell her that? She didn't want to risk their friendship again, over the same person who caused it to fall apart once before.

"I know," Ino muttered strongly. "It doesn't matter. We really are alike, falling in love one-sidedly with someone who's in love with someone else."

How could she say that it didn't matter? Even if Ino told her that she was alright, Sakura was doubtful. Of course it mattered, but with Ino smiling at her like that, Sakura knew she shouldn't worry, but somehow, it also told her that Ino knew the truth about Sai and her.

_Oh Ino, this is exactly why I admire you so much._ How could she smile at her own rival like that? "Ino…" Sakura started uneasily, "You know I will never do anything to hurt you."

"I know," Ino replied faithfully. "We can't control other people's feelings no matter how much we wish we could. I'll be okay; it won't be like before. I won't lose sight of what really matters."

Sakura promised to make certain of it.

* * *

"Welcome home, Temari-sama," the maid greeted with a respectful bow as she opened the door.

"Is anyone at home?" Temari automatically asked, stepping inside the manor.

"Everyone has already arrived."

"I see," Temari nodded and crossed the entrance hall towards the living room on the right. Her timing couldn't be more perfect when she stepped through the doorway of her destination just as Sakura was stepping through it to leave.

"Nee-san," Sakura asked, quickly changing her startled expression into a smile. "Have you just got back?"

Temari nodded silently, preoccupied with her own thoughts. It was a good thing she didn't have to look for her younger sister. She could finally return the package to its rightful owner. "Come with me, Sakura."

Sakura had no choice but to follow since Temari had already spun around and started walking away towards the staircase. Temari continued up the stairs, through the hall into her room, and finally to her very huge walk-in closet. She entered hesitantly, and watched as Temari pushed a white box towards her.

"What is this?" Sakura asked, looking at the box in front of her in wonder.

"It belongs to you. I think the contents inside will help you make a decision whether you're going to the Uchihas' party or not. If you do decide to go through with it, it should give you enough courage to face whatever will happen there," Temari replied calmly, not giving anything away. "I know that you're aware that in that party, they'll force Uchiha Sasuke to formally announce his fiancée."

Sasuke was going to have to choose between them: her or Karin. She looked at the sealed box hopefully and prayed that it would also guide her towards the right path, whether to keep chasing after Sasuke or to turn around and go back with Sai.

"I'll leave you to it then," Temari spoke, snapping Sakura out of her reverie.

"Do you know what's inside?" Sakura asked, eyes gleaming with anticipation. She didn't dare take her eyes away from the package, too concerned with its contents. Due to her inattentiveness to her surroundings, she didn't notice she was alone until she turned around and saw an empty room.

Great, now it was just her and the box.

Basically from what she heard from her older sister, whatever was inside this box would help her decide if her ex-fiancée was worth it. What could be inside this thing that would influence her like that?

Sitting on the carpeted floor of her sister's closet, she opened the box carefully but stopped when all she saw was a bunch of random things: a small stuffed dog, a music box, and other assorted items. It took a while of her staring at each object before she recognized what they were.

When her eyes widened in realization, she took out the music box and as if in a trance, wound the key at the side to listen to the soft tune she knew it would play. How could she have forgotten? Everything that was inside this box represented her memories of her childhood friend―

"Sasuke-kun, I never realized it was you all along," she cried, placing the object beside her as the music continued to play.

All of the items inside the box were from their childhood, beginning when they met until he moved away. She thought she had left all of these back in her grandmother's house when she was sent to live with her mother.

After promising to remain in touch with her childhood friend, she wrote him many letters throughout the years―three years to be exact. Even when she rarely received a reply (maybe only a letter or two) she kept writing to him until her father passed away.

It wasn't until she got settled in her new environment (i.e., house, family, school and friends) did she start feeling alive again. Because of the adversities in her life, she eventually forgot about him. She never expected that he would be back in her life after all those years.

Regardless of it all, they were just memories of the past. Their relationship then and now were completely different. They weren't children anymore, nor will they ever be again. He must've already moved on a long time ago, but here she was, reminiscing about the past they had before.

She missed those days when they were together as kids.

Noticing a white envelope where the stuffed toy was resting against, she took it and flipped to the back. She gasped when she saw the stamped date on the envelope. The letter came from Uchiha Sasuke approximately two years ago.

Two years ago… why would he write her a letter then? Ripping the envelope, she took out the letter and opened it, wondering what it was about. After gazing at the contents of the page, she went to the beginning and read it thoroughly.

_Dear Sakura,_

_I know it's been a long time since I've written to you, and I'm really sorry for that. You might think that I've stopped thinking about you, but that's not true. Not at all. Didn't you notice how I only sent you letters when I've moved again? I guess I'm just not the type to write letters to someone I care about. I'd rather be there in person, which I know is not possible right now._

_Don't think that I hate your letters when I feel excited receiving them all the time. I like hearing from you, and glad that you're doing well even when I'm not there. Just don't forget to take care of yourself and don't let yourself get bullied by other kids!_

_Don't rush into things if you're not sure what you're getting yourself into―remember that time! If I wasn't there, you could've gotten into even more trouble. You should've left that Gaara kid alone like I told you to._

_Now I think I'm rambling. I just told you that I'm not the type to write letters, and look I've already written half a page already. This should already make up for all the letters that you wrote to me._

_Who I am kidding? I guess the real reason why I'm writing to you is because you see, nii-san is leaving. He's moving away and they won't tell me when he's coming back. When I asked tou-sama, he told me to start taking my studies seriously so I can be a good Uchiha like nii-sama._

_Sakura… I'm scared. I thought my parents cared about me. I thought nii-sama loved me, but he's still moving away. He stopped talking to me like he used to and he's going home later and later. I rarely see him anymore and I feel like I won't see him again when he leaves._

_I… want to see you again. I know it's been years since we last saw each other and I know we live far away from each other, but I want to see you again. It'll be like last time, when we used to sneak away from my bodyguards and your tutors and have fun together. No one could find us that time but nii-sama._

_I might be asking for a lot, since I know how your baa-chan is but our meeting won't be for nothing. I was thinking of giving you the promise necklace that I should've given to you before we left._

_No matter how much time has passed, I still think you're the right girl for it, so come see me, okay._

_Your best friend,_

_Sasuke_

Unshed tears made her eyes glisten; her teardrops finally falling on the page and blotting the old letter as she read the last word. She had thought he had forgotten about her, but after all that time, he remembered their promise when they were still kids. That naïve, childish vow they were manipulated into making as children, with repercussions they knew nothing about.

He still wanted to go through with it. It was her. It was her all along. He still thought about her even after being separated for many years.

It was clear to her now. Uchiha Sasuke had been in love with her three years ago, and she had been too naïve then to notice.

Taking out the necklace inside her pocket, she looked at it with a bewildered smile. It made sense to her now. She finally understood the meaning of this necklace. If he gave this to her now after how many years had already passed, then…

It wasn't wrong to continue hoping. She just had to believe in him and this necklace he gave her.

_**TBC**_

* * *

**A/N: **Well now, that was short. It ended up being shorter than I intended, but quite eventful nonetheless. NaruHina and ShikaTem are present, but the SasuSaku was… not quite there. Well, the letter was still… er… some of you might not like the lack of SasuSaku moments, but please be patient. I know, I'm the type to read the SasuSaku moments instead of the story myself, but I have to focus on the other couples as well.

Please be considerate that my readers are not only you SasuSaku fans, but also from other fandoms as well (NaruHina, ShikaTem etc.). Many of my readers have been telling me that they aren't fans of SasuSaku, so I guess this chapter would be okay for you guys.

For the possible questions in this chapter: does Kiba like Sakura (I don't know myself; you have to ask him), what happened to Naruto and Hinata (will be explained in the next chapter), does Shikamaru like Ino or Temari (for Ino: no, he just feels guilty for not stopping her, and for Temari: what do you think?), and does Ino like Sai (please don't make me explain this, but she was part of the S.A.I. girls before but I guess her feelings for him are stronger than Sakura or Ami's).

Please, I don't want to hear, 'I hate Tsubasa and she's a bitch' lines. I'm pretty sure there's someone out there who can relate to her. I know she's a pathetic character (my sister said this when she read it), but at least now she's not two dimensional.

Lastly, I know some of you guys are still confused about what the heck is happening. I know the sporadic updates are the cause of it (I know I'm definitely a faster updater than before), and yes, there is a plot and that means each chapter is a fraction of the main story line. Everything is connected and won't make sense if you don't keep reading, or if you haven't read the past chapters in a while. I don't want to be mean and say that you should read the story again if you don't understand the key points that happened in this chapter, since they have already been touched upon previously. So-o-o… I thought of creating summaries and posting them in a forum. I just want your opinion if this would be a great help for most of you, or if it isn't necessary. It will be time consuming since all the synopses I have written are thrown out. If it's a yes, anyone want to volunteer to do it?

Thank you for your continuing support, my fellow readers and consistent reviewers (you know who you are!). I wouldn't have gotten this far without you guys.

* * *

**Chapter 28―Memory Soiree**

"I am here to announce my fiancée―"

"_Sasuke-kun! Wait for me!" a sweet childish voice suddenly called out._

The words died out of Sasuke's mouth as a video suddenly played from the screen behind him. He turned around and could only stare with Karin in shock as the audience watched the scene in fascination.

Kiba smirked, amused by the scandalous turn of events. "Well, what do you know; there was hope after all."

Naruto sighed in relief, watching the video with a smile and murmured, "They made it in time."

Gaara looked at the screen silently, recalling the event as it played. He didn't expect it to be taped though. He could image who owned this video. Now that he thought about it, he distinctly remembered Haruno Sora coaxing both Sasuke and Sakura to act natural for the video camera he was pointing at them.

* * *

**Updated: **December 7, 2010


	28. Memory Soiree

**Engagement On Hold**

**Summary:** (AU) Uchiha Sasuke is Konoha High's reigning prince. Haruno Sakura is…? Who is she again? What happens when the guy everybody knows finds himself engaged to the girl nobody knows?

**Genre:** Romance/Humor/Drama

**Pairings:** Sasuke/Sakura, Naruto/Hinata, Shikamaru/Temari

**Author:** pei-chan

**Disclaimer:** Wouldn't it be nice if Sasuke and Sakura were really engaged in the Naruto series? Then again, that would only occur in our dreams… ne?

**AN:** Well, this piece is about a month and a half late. I thank the people who understood of its delay in advance. As many of you know, I have a life and the end of the year 2010 was spent trying to practice for my cousin's cotillion. I thought I could update in January but I was pestered by more random practices here and there because my cousin was stressing about her debut. Filipinos should know what I'm talking about.

Yup, and then I just had to get sick on the very day since I had to write my uncle and aunt's speech (her parents) and had to make a speech of my own and sing at the same time, which I didn't get a chance to do by the way. I had to make everything on the spot and sing with no rehearsal. Combine that with a sore throat is not pretty folks, but at least in the end, my cousin and the guests adored the effort, saying that it got the party going. Anyway, I have been sick since my birthday because of the erratic weather in Toronto. It just won't make up its mind!

I delayed the publishing further because of a writing contest I'm joining that I have to submit by the end of this month. Sorry everyone, but for once, I want something in return for my efforts, if you know what I mean.

Now let me stop talking so you guys can now enjoy the awaited chapter.

* * *

**Chapter 28―Memory Soiree**

"So you decided to come after all," Gaara said, as he escorted his sister inside the Uchiha manor. "What made you change your mind?"

Sakura frowned quizzically that melted into a rueful smile when he finished his question. "A letter," she whispered softly.

He didn't ask any further, but continued looking at her. Only when she noticed his gaze turn away did she add, "I'll be alright―don't worry."

Gaara let his worries to rest, focusing on the celebration around them. They had just passed through the ballroom where the party was being held. The room wasn't as packed as they thought it would be, but there were many attendants already present scattered around. No one seemed to take notice of their arrival, which was a relief for Sakura. Public attention at this point would only shatter the little concentration she had left.

"I guess we're right on time," Gaara heard Sakura announce with satisfaction.

"I thought you wouldn't come," Itachi stated intriguingly from behind.

Turning to face him, Sakura regarded him with a wistful thoughtfulness that only Itachi noticed.

_"Our families are close friends, that's why," a voice intervened before Sakura could say anything._

_"I saw the future member of __my __family in trouble so I came to save her," Itachi said confidently._

_What did he just call her… his family?_

All along… he knew and remembered about her even after that much time had passed.

Any other teasing remarks he had reserved for her were forgotten when she smiled at him, but it wasn't until he saw a teardrop sliding down her cheek that he finally understood.

"Itachi-_niisama_," Sakura cried softly, calling him the honorific endearment she used to long ago.

All the humor left his handsome features and was replaced with the caring gentleness he almost forgotten had. He didn't take notice that she already approached him, and only welcomed it by patting her head gently. "How long has it been since I've been called that?"

She responded with a giggle. "Not as long as I've missed saying it."

Yes, it had been so long since he had been referred to like that. He never could've imagined it would create a huge affect on him. It made him reflect on his childhood… and the two children he had watched over.

"See… I told you we'd meet again." He barely even finished his sentence when Sakura jumped into his arms, hugging him tightly.

"I'm sorry for taking so long to remember." Hearing her muffled sob, he returned the embrace without a second thought.

Gaara rarely cared about being a third party; however, in this situation, there was no other option but to get irritated. He was not pleased with what had transpired one bit.

* * *

An awed gasp was heard.

"What a big party." It was Hyuuga Hanabi herself who gawked at the room, admiring the Westernized style of the building. She felt like she was in an unfamiliar territory, growing up being surrounded by traditional architecture in an historical Japanese manor. It was exciting. Regardless of whether she was only an added guest to such an event, the memory was worth savoring.

Neji didn't share his cousin's enthusiasm. He remained silent and regarded their surroundings with disinterest. He disliked unnecessary events such as these. He knew the reason for their forced attendance: to try and promote the declining fame of their family arts.

It was exactly why both he and Hanabi were forced to come. He was called a genius by many for winning the Junior World Tournament one time. He was now competing for the title in the older category. Hanabi was also considered a prodigy, winning three consecutive junior Japanese tournaments, now trying to earn a place in the competitors for the Junior World Tournament.

His uncle was reluctant to let Hinata attend the party, considering the dark stain in her career, but Neji was able to convince him that Hinata was still the heir of the family judo.

Hinata was uncertain of her own attendance with the knowledge of Naruto being present making her anxious. If only she had more self control, she wouldn't have ruined the relationship she had between them.

_Uncertainty and fear invaded inside her that it took most of her willpower not to run away like she had planned before. She was waiting for his response, reaction―anything that would give away what he was thinking. She analyzed any movement, deciphering his facial expression from the best of her ability. Fright when he briskly looked away from her._

_Afraid of the possibility of rejection, she found a quick excuse, "I promised Naruto-kun that I'd wait… but here I am burdening him with my insecurities." She chuckled at her own stupidity and proceeded, "I'm sorry for being so selfish. Forget I… said anything."_

_She was relieved when he didn't call her name when she turned away because one word from him and she would run back with no hesitation even if it would lead to her heart being shattered._

Did she do the right thing despite of her impulsive actions? What would Naruto-kun be thinking about the confession she quickly retracted yesterday? Was he disappointed? Ashamed of her? If they saw each other (which could only be inevitable), what would he do? What would she do?

"What is he doing?" Neji thought out loud.

"Who?" Hanabi asked, looking around.

"Uzumaki Naruto," Neji said suspiciously.

Hinata immediately tensed up at the mention of her classmate's name. It was to be expected in Hanabi's eyes. After all, Uzumaki Naruto had influenced her sister in ways that even Hinata didn't understand.

The siblings turned and saw him just in time before he disappeared past a corner at the other end of the room. "He's up to something," Neji concluded.

She couldn't keep running away forever. She needed to stop running away and start facing her problems no matter how scary they might be.

She needed to see him. She needed to find him and apologize, but there was one problem: her cousin would never allow it. He wouldn't let her go near Naruto if he could prevent it. If only she could find a way to get away… somehow―

"Neji-niisama isn't that Tenten-san I see over there," Hanabi blurted out, pointing at the Chinese girl alone in the crowd.

Neji wasted no time and went over to his fellow classmate, leaving his younger cousins alone and unchaperoned.

Hinata blinked in utter confusion. That was… perfect!

"You're welcome," Hanabi replied as if she read her sister's thoughts. When her sister continued to frown in bewilderment, Hanabi casually explained, "I never expected anything from onee-sama. Everyone always said that onee-sama isn't fit to be the heir of the Hyuuga and I believed them. I also thought onee-sama was pathetic and looked down on her like the rest of the family." She paused and averted her gaze from the corner where Uzumaki Naruto disappeared from towards her sister's wide eyed disbelief and said, "But now, I think I can finally say that I'm proud to be onee-sama's younger sister."

_Hanabi…_

"You should go see him now before Neji-niisama remembers his duty and never lets you out of his sight for the rest of the night."

* * *

Sakura didn't think much about leaving Gaara and Itachi alone when Ino called her over. The joy of finally solving all the missing pieces in her memory overwhelmed her ability to be more observant with her surroundings and her companions.

That was more than fine with Gaara. Without Sakura around, he could have a nice and enlightening chat with the elder Uchiha without any interruptions.

He didn't even need to say anything. His penetrating glare was evident enough to make Itachi chuckle, which only annoyed Gaara further.

"Jealous? I never would've expected you to show such strong emotion."

"Stay away from my sister," Gaara warned, leaving out his threat as an added effect.

Itachi didn't see it that way. "You've been sharing her with the rest of your siblings for the past few years. Adding one more shouldn't matter."

Bastard!

Apparently, Uchiha Itachi just made another enemy.

* * *

Her enthusiasm didn't last long as lingering thoughts of what was to come started pressuring her. That was only partly true. Seeing Akashi Karin along with her ex-fiancée turned her mood into a complete turnabout. The red-head was wearing a long black empire style chiffon gown with a deep plunging V-neckline that disappeared into a crystal studded waist and ended in a slim A-line skirt. When she turned towards Sasuke, Sakura could see the open back of the gown that was supported by two thin shoestring straps that crossed her back and connected with the front of the gown, while a short band of crystals an inch thick rested on the base of her spine accentuating her posterior.

On the whole, Sakura thought that the whole ensemble screamed sexy trashy instead of classy, but if that's what turned Sasuke on, why not. She couldn't seem to calm down and was becoming tenser by the second.

Trying to calm her nerves, she excused herself from Ino and went to the personal bar at the side of the room to get some strong liquor that would help numb her a bit. It didn't matter what it was, as long as it did its job.

* * *

Kiba wasn't the type to stare at his friends or check them out for that matter. He preferred not to drift towards that path in case heartbreak ensued and friendships shattered, but he couldn't help himself.

He trailed his gaze on Ino's attire when she looked away. Yamanaka Ino was dressed in an elegant royal purple charmeuse and chiffon one shoulder gown with a rouched bodice and an A-line slit all the way to mid-thigh. Her soft blonde hair was held up on one side by a round diamante-studded barrette and the ends of her long hair were curled softly. The whole effect was as if she was an innocent and seductive queen-goddess. He couldn't help but stare. With the current women's fashion trends his reaction shouldn't be a surprise or frowned upon. There should be no such rule against sexual harassment. How could men resist temptation when men simply wouldn't be able to help themselves when women wore such revealing and seductive outfits?

"Instead of staring at my backside," Ino said, making Kiba start up tensely. "Don't you think that girl has much more _appealing_ features?" She pointed to a girl wearing a sexy red dress.

He was in such a daze that he didn't notice Ino's sly smile as he took her suggestion and went over to the girl with one clear intention. "Hey beautiful, wanna dance?"

"Do I look like I want to dance?" The girl turned around, her tone bitingly sarcastic; her voice barely controlled. Kiba felt his jaw drop. It was Sakura. A Sakura nobody had ever seen before, not even during the festival. She was wearing a sexy red V-neck gown with beaded straps and an overlapping double A-line slit skirt that swished around her thighs when she moved creating the illusion of peek-a-boo curtains which gave a glimpse of Sakura's (dare he say it?) very sexy legs, but before he could truly appreciate it, was hidden again from view. It was both teasing and provocative. And hell ― yeah! ― _incredibly_ sexy.

He never thought he could ever feel this ashamed. Damn; to think he would tell that to Sakura of all people was one thing he didn't think possible or imaginable, but here they were in this situation. _Me and my big mouth_, he grumbled out of self loathing.

"Did you just hit on me?" Sakura asked in astonishment. She didn't pause long enough for Kiba to reply, before adding an even more bemused: "You did."

It sounded like she was accusing him. Then again, hadn't she been doing that quite frequently lately?

"You man whore."

Okay, that was definitely more what she would usually say. Cheeks flushed. Slurred speech. Unfocused gaze. These were all signs―

"Ah, it's been a long time. When have I last seen Sakura drunk?" Ino said amusingly from beside him.

Idiotic woman. Why did she have to get drunk right now in a place like this? There was media all around the place who would delight in photographing her as long as she was being her regular short tempered self, but seeing her drunk would give them more ammunition to print. It made him regret going to her in the first place.

"That is… if you're really drunk," Ino added knowingly.

Wait; Sakura wasn't drunk? But all the signs were there. He looked at her and immediately saw her stiffen, and stuck her nose up in disdain. So… She was playing with him, was she? What an inconsiderate and selfish woman! Before he could open his mouth to tell her off because of her annoying joke, the two women started talking to each other.

Ino took a seat beside Sakura and said expectantly, "Let me guess… you're getting cold feet?"

"If that's what you call it," Sakura snorted. "When I saw her, I couldn't help myself and I just became so angry―"

"And frustrated," Ino finished with ease.

"I just think," Sakura whispered hesitantly, ignoring Ino's interruption, "that it's pointless for me to be here." Her courage was waning while the indecisiveness within her grew stronger. She was afraid to get rejected one final time.

"Then leave," Kiba interjected briskly, putting Sakura's self conflict to a pause and making the two women turn expectantly to him, "No one's stopping you."

Ino only stared in silent disbelief as Kiba continued.

"What happened to the girl who didn't care about being rejected by the entire school or having one-sided love as long as―?"

"You don't know anything about me!" Sakura retorted, enraged by his statement.

"And you're an idiotic coward who can't make up her mind."

The insult hit home and Sakura glared at him, offended by its accuracy. Just because she looked strong for the past month after dealing with that level of bullying and social isolation, didn't mean she was immune to doubt and fear. She had been struggling with it for many years barely making the right choices. "I'm not as strong as you think."

"No, you don't look as strong as your sister, you're not beautiful like Hinata, nor are you influential like Ino."

They didn't notice Ino leaning back with a protest, "Don't get me into this."

"But you surprise people when they least expect it; you show them you're not as ordinary as they thought; and you show them that even if you're hurt, you won't let that bring you down. You make a lot of mistakes, but you try even harder to make them right.

"If that isn't strength, then what is it?"

The three of them were silent for a while, with Ino and Kiba regarding Sakura in silent wonder, trying to decipher her reaction. To their relief, a smile slowly crept and shattered her unreadable expression, telling them that Kiba's encouragement worked.

Sakura finally understood what Kiba was trying to say. In other words, he was telling her that it was okay. It was fine to― "Just be myself, huh?"

Could it really be that simple?

She felt like crying, more relieved than before she even walked into the party. How Kiba was able to create such a miracle was a mystery to her, but one she didn't bother to explore. With a grateful smile, she left them, looking to find her ex-fiancée.

Ino wasn't the type who would get offended by being abandoned, but used it as an excuse to start up a conversation with the one who was still there. "Since you just deprived me of my amusement for the rest of the evening, let's talk about you.

"I've never seen a guy pour out his heart and soul like that. That's not like you, Kiba the-oh-passionate-one," Ino chuckled mischievously.

"Hey," Kiba contended, trying to defend himself. "It's not like that at all."

"Uhuh," Ino nodded sardonically. "Last month it was Hinata, and now its Sakura," she abruptly gasped, leaning her back on the table for support. "You'll fall in love with me next, won't you?"

"Don't flatter yourself. That'll never happen."

"I bet you used to tell yourself that about Sakura."

"I told you," Kiba tried to explain with a sigh, "I'm not―"

"You're nuts about her," she chorused, not listening to him.

"Shut up! I just admire her, that's all," he confessed irritably.

Ino still couldn't believe him. _"Really_ now?"

A pregnant pause, and then: "Yes." Ah ha! Finally, they were getting somewhere.

"To what; that you're in love with Sakura?" Ino continued to tease.

Maybe he should just hit his head on a concrete wall to wake up from this nightmare. What was so difficult to understand about the word _admiration_?

"Oh, come on Kiba," Ino scoffed. "There's no way that you can't be in love with Sakura with what you just told her."

"I was just trying to be the supportive _friend_, since isn't that what _friends_ do," he pointed out sarcastically. "Besides, who are you to decide what I feel for her?"

The challenge was welcomed. "Or maybe… you're just in denial."

* * *

Temari was walking by the hall when a familiar voice called out to her. Crossing her arms with a sigh, she turned around and asked impatiently, "What do you want, Shikamaru?"

Shikamaru didn't waste any time and said, "I changed my mind. I want to help you."

Unfortunately for him, Temari wasn't one of those gullible women, which was why she asked frankly, "Why?"

Why did he change his mind? It wasn't because of guilt, not when he didn't find anything to feel guilty about. There was another reason. "Because I've been there since the very beginning; giving up halfway throughout isn't the way I do things."

Temari smirked, "Is that right?"

If he put it that way, then her first assumption of him hadn't been wrong. The person Temari was attracted to _was_ still the same as he'd always been. He just disappeared into himself for a while.

* * *

Naruto scratched his head uncertainly, debating whether he should intrude on the intimate moment. He was only mildly surprised that there was something going on between his lazy friend and Sakura's sassy and confident sister, but then again, Temari was tutoring Shikamaru. It wasn't like he had a problem with their relationship, but was this really the right time for it? Didn't they have something far more important to do?

"Naruto-kun."

There was no room for thought, just a flash from their recent unforgettable encounter.

"Hinata."

* * *

"Finally you're here," Tenten sighed, smiling in relief.

"You're alone? Where's Lee?"

"Lee's not going to be here. Weren't you listening when we were talking about it―" Tenten stopped talking when she realized it was pointless to ask, "Never mind." The only reason why Neji started tolerating Lee was because they were grouped for the same project together. If that didn't happen, Tenten was sure Neji wouldn't even go anywhere near their oddly zealous friend, who would proclaim about the wonderfulness of youth whenever he got the chance.

Neji wasn't even paying attention to her dress this evening. Not that she was particularly dressed up. She was just in an elegant and understated ensemble suitable for a diplomat's daughter with her black her falling in a straight curtain on her back and the sides pulled back and twisted into tiny cinnamon rolls by crystal barrettes, and basic silver high heeled sandals.

Her strapless pale pink cocktail dress was equally simply elegant with a rouched bodice and a short A-line skirt. The waistband and the tiny V at her cleavage was made up of purple crystals adding a dash of color to the entire outfit, while silver string earrings and silver bangles on both wrists added a bit of spice to prevent the look from becoming boring.

Taking a seat on one of the tables, Tenten patted the table with a satisfactory smile when Neji sat beside her on cue, "At least we're sitting together."

"With my cousins I presume."

"Of course," Tenten replied without a doubt.

They were silent for a while until Neji asked out of the blue, "I know why I'm here, but I don't get why you're here. Don't you hate these types of gatherings?"

His deduction was right on the mark. Tenten preferred to stay away from high society gatherings as much as possible. It was one of the reasons why she stayed in Japan and took a labor job as a volunteer at a local hospital. However, she wasn't able to escape it completely when she was forced into an agreement to enroll at Konoha High Academy, where she would still be in the presence of the very crowd she wanted to run away from.

"I do," Tenten agreed, eyeing the media around them with great distaste. "But I'm here for something else."

Something else, or rather, was it someone? "I knew you were infatuated with Uchiha Sasuke," Neji deduced with a scoff.

Tenten wanted to laugh and ask him, 'Where did that come from?' but managed to hold down the urge and corrected him instead, "I'm here because of his fiancée―or rather, ex-fiancée."

"Haruno Sakura?" The girl Hinata labeled as her best friend. "Why are you suddenly interested in her?"

Tenten looked on the people around them, trying to find the answer to that question. She wasn't entirely sure why, but maybe… it was because of that.

_Coming into her patient's room, she saw Tsubasa leaning forward, hiding her forlorn expression. Knowing what had already occurred between her patient and the former visitors in the room (which were Hinata, Sai and Sakura), Tenten stepped inside and closed the door for privacy._

"_Isn't it better this way?" she speculated, but with the real intention of trying to be comforting. "Now, she can't hurt you anymore."_

_Tsubasa showed no sign of hearing or acknowledging Tenten's presence, which Tenten didn't really mind. She had a clear understanding of what this girl was going through. Her life had a timer, and the grains of sand that was preserving that life could disappear and empty at any moment. The last thing Tenten needed Tsubasa to feel was despair._

"_I remember the time when I was still in middle school and Sakura was my friend―my closest friend even!" Tsubasa gave a shaky laugh. Her shaking form was something that Tenten didn't fail to notice. "No matter how odd and weird our friendship seemed to be, I didn't care. Even when it looked like she wasn't really my friend. Everything started to become clear when I got bullied and no one came to help me even when Sakura was right there._

"_As if it wasn't enough to abandon me, she came afterwards to apologize with such a sincere guilty expression that I actually forgave her and told her to forget about it. It wasn't long after that that I received a text message from her saying that she wanted to meet after school, and the stupid me had to be ecstatic about it and rushed there. Little did I know that she arranged everything so that I could get raped." She shivered when the fear rushed into her, reliving the moment once again._

_Tenten quickly saw Tsubasa's need for aid and quickly went to her side, rubbing her back gently. There shouldn't be a need for Tsubasa to go through this again for it could only trigger an attack that she might not recover from, but Tenten couldn't bring herself to stop Tsubasa. No matter how much the past was making this girl suffer, as Tsubasa's friend, Tenten knew that it was more important for Tsubasa to get it out. Right now, Tsubasa didn't need a volunteer helper or a hospital employee, but a friend who would listen to her._

"_But Arisugaki Sai came just in time and saved you," Tenten added helpfully, knowing about the incident that much in detail._

_Tsubasa didn't seem to mind the interruption and nodded. "I was immediately hospitalized and told that my sickness was now at the crucial state and I wouldn't be able to go to school anymore. I couldn't… live like a normal girl anymore and soon I would be bedridden in this hospital._

"_My life was going to end soon and as if to spite me, Sakura came to visit me just so she could apologize." Tsubasa chuckled and abruptly became silent, trying to sort out her feelings. It wasn't long before she started sobbing._

_Tenten empathized on what Tsubasa told her. If the person who betrayed her were to apologize for ruining her life, she would never bother with them ever again. Thus was the life of politicians. They had to find dirt on their opponent's career, personal life―anything to get ahead of them and use that information as leverage and weapons to boost their own career. Being exposed to that kind of life since she was merely an infant, Tenten saw its similarity with Tsubasa's relationship with Sakura. Yet still; Tsubasa was only a normal girl trying her hardest to live._

_However, Tsubasa's next statement wasn't what Tenten was expecting. "I wanted to forgive her regardless of what she did to me." Tenten remained awestruck as she listened to Tsubasa continue, "Even after all of that, I wanted to forgive her with that simple apology."_

_Clenching her fists and crumpling the sheets beneath her fingers, her arms quivered uncontrollably in sheer self loathing. "What's wrong with me? Even I couldn't believe it myself, but luckily I didn't tell her my feelings and told her what I wanted to say:_

"_For the first time, I cursed her and told her she wasn't my friend._

"_And yet, like I committed the horrible crime, she got into an accident that her brother, Sabaku Kankuro, didn't think twice about blaming me and making me promise not to go near her ever again." Through the coherent sobs, she laughed at the irony of the situation. Due to the chaotic clash between tears and laughter, one of her laughs came out as a stiff hiccup that neither of them paid any notice._

"_I was the victim and yet I had to pay for all the consequences while she ends up forgetting about what she did to me. She's supposed to remain repentant for betraying me and yet she still gets to move on and make new friends. It sickens me!"_

_There was compassion and understanding in Tenten's expression that flickered when Tsubasa's true feelings came across to her._

"_Tsubasa…" as a friend, she was supposed to remain honest with her, wasn't she? "What you feel isn't hatred for Sakura, is it?"_

_Then why was it so hard to tell her the truth?_

_Where should the boundary be in telling truth and spinning lies? Was there justification in enlightening a friend towards their own feelings that they haven't noticed even if it was something they couldn't accept? Or was it better to keep the charade of friends that only tell each other what they want to hear―even if those were lies?_

_Where does friendship stand in that?_

"What's so interesting about Haruno Sakura?" Neji asked callously, earning Tenten's full attention for the first time after the ten minutes of silence between them.

Tenten was more than relieved that her companion didn't notice or rather, caught her zoning out. He would never let her live it down afterwards. Managing to blend into the atmosphere between them, she answered casually, "That's what I'm trying to find out."

"I really don't understand why Hinata still tries to convince herself that she's friends with that girl when she was the one that got her disqualified back then."

"Because friends forgive each other," Tenten replied questionably, baffled about the issue as well.

"Even when her reputation now has a dark stain in it because of that―"

Reputation? Which reminded her… "You're speaking like a Hyuuga again," Tenten reminded him.

"And you're acting like the politician's daughter that you are, taking such an interest in Haruno Sakura," Neji formulated his comeback with ease.

Tenten's smile was authomatic. Leave it to Neji to notice her slipping from the very habit she wanted to get rid of, but that got her thinking. Maybe she was trying to analyze this too much. Why the need to investigate Haruno Sakura's background like she was her opponent in some election. There was no one's favor she wanted but… Tsubasa's.

Ever since she understood what Tsubasa was trying to suppress for so long, Tenten became unexpectedly interested in Haruno Sakura. After just telling herself that she wouldn't bother with that girl again, here she was trying to find out more about her. How ironic this was! "But isn't that why we get along so well, because of the sophistication of our family backgrounds," Tenten replied.

"All I know is that I'm starting to get annoyed with all this talk about Uchiha Sasuke and Haruno Sakura's relationship."

Tenten couldn't have agreed more. With the media finalizing about the tragic breakup between the two, it was still centered on them, now on the topic if the two would get back together. Paparazzi and their stories; the fixedness of their stories always irritated her. What about the rest of the world? What about other stories worth telling? Sadly, a famous individual's wardrobe mishap was more important than a murder or genocide that could be happening in a third world country. This just proved how shallow people could be.

"Then again, since we're already here; why don't we just enjoy what this party has in store for us?" Tenten suggested with a smile.

She had this distant feeling that something was bound to happen in this party that would tell her more about what kind of person Sakura was. She had to witness it with her own eyes what made Haruno Sakura special.

"_You actually want to remain as Sakura's friend and continue living with her," Tenten finished, rendering Tsubasa still. "Your desire to live is that strong, isn't it? You want to experience life with her."_

* * *

"Should we interrupt them?" Temari asked, glancing at Shikamaru.

"Nah," Shikamaru shook his head. "This way, Naruto won't be able to complain about us taking so long."

Temari didn't respond and just watched as Naruto and Hinata stared at each other tensely. "Should we leave then?" Those two might need their privacy.

"Nah," Shikamaru repeated, not understanding what he insinuated by that until he saw Temari's downgrading glare. "If we leave him, it'll take even longer trying to look for him later," he explained, not succeeding in convincing even himself of it.

"Keep telling yourself that Nara. Just admit it; you want to watch them."

That wasn't it at all. What could he care about Naruto's love life? So, he tried to tell his explanation in a different angle. "What they do is none of my business, but―"

What she just wanted to hear! "Then let's go," she cut him off by taking his arm and dragging him away from the scene before they were noticed. Shikamaru wasn't even able to protest and she asked to ease his forgotten concerns, "He knows where to go, doesn't he? We'll just meet him there; it should be faster that way."

With a sigh, Shikamaru stopped resisting and let his assertive woman tug him to their destination.

As she was tugging him along, Shikamaru happened to take a second look at Temari. He did a quick blink and uncharacteristically blurted out: "You're in a dress."

She gave him a withering glance. "I was already in a dress when you first saw me."

Temari was wearing an emerald green organza dress that matched her eyes. The right side of the rouched bodice as well as the asymmetrical waistline was studded with diamante crystals, and the fly design of the long skirt exposed her long slender legs, but was swishy enough to give the illusion that she was floating. She wasn't wearing any jewelry except a pair of diamond stud earrings, and silver peep-toe sandals. Her normally pig-tailed blonde hair was swept to the side and fell in permed waves down her back. All in all, she was a rather stunning package.

He was a bit bemused that he wasn't even concerned about their existing contact had now moved to another location.

Their hands were now intertwined and neither took the initiative to let go. Whether each of them was ignoring the physical contact was one the other party didn't bother to wonder about.

They remained that way all the way to their destination, and for the first time that day, there were no arguments between them.

* * *

Naruto couldn't seem to take his eyes off her. She looked so beautiful to him, it hurt. Hinata's normally straight hair fell in a long curtain to her back, with the ends slightly curled giving her a softer and even more feminine look. The lavender chiffon strapless dress with its rouched bodice and A-line short skirt gave her the appearance of an exotic flower.

Hinata was the first to break eye contact, frightened by how easily his gaze made her waver. Even after thinking it through and running the scenario over in her head, her hesitation remained strong.

The moment he saw her turn away from him, he clearly saw the hurt and sadness in her eyes. He never would've expected to cause her great pain, all because of the childish and selfish promise he made to her back when they were younger. Now he could see what he admired most about Sasuke's maturity at the cost of realizing his immaturity back then. It only crushed him to see how that naїvete could hurt one of the people he cared most about. "I'm sorry; this is my fault. If I didn't make such a stupid promise to you back then, this wouldn't have happened."

No, that wasn't what she wanted to hear from him. That wasn't how he was supposed to take her confession.

They misunderstood each other completely.

"Please don't say that; don't blame yourself. I was the one who chose to wait… so please… don't think you're the one at fault."

"But because of that promise, I'm forcing you to wait when you could've gone out with―" he stopped himself just before he could say Kiba's name and inwardly cursed at his carelessness. He was actually jealous of that dumb mutt, and it was irritating him to no end. Damn it!

"What a cruel thing to say," Hinata murmured softly, putting Naruto's mental degradation to a stop. "It was my choice to wait for you―no one's forcing me to." She couldn't believe that she was actually letting her feelings across without stammering. The weight she felt before had mysteriously disappeared. Could it be because she was finally letting out the feelings that remained dormant inside her for years?

"I was more than happy when you made that promise to me. Why you asked me to wait until you've finally helped Sasuke-san, I didn't think twice about it." Stepping closer to him, Hinata gave him a gentle smile that filled him with immeasurable strength. "It doesn't matter to me how long I have to wait, or even if you eventually forget about that promise. As long as I can stay by your side, that's all that matters to me."

When he finally returned her smile, Hinata understood that he was also accepting her feelings, and it brought her such relief.

"I'm a real jerk for making you wait this long," Naruto sighed, disappointed in his own inability to help his friend and not being there for the girl he cared most about.

"That's alright; knowing that you remembered your promise to me―no matter how selfish it was at that time―was enough to tell me that waiting for you won't be in vain." She looked away and fidgeted shortly, muttering something incoherently that Naruto could barely hear it. He had to ask her to repeat it once more before she blurted out, "So can I… can I remain by your side?"

Naruto's eyes widened at her confession but composed himself quickly in case he pounced on her and made run away again. In the end, basic instinct won out: he didn't even warn her and just pulled her against his broader form. He had to suppress his amused chuckle when he felt her freeze in his arms. "You don't need to ask. You're the only one I want by my side anyway."

He wanted to add that she would be within his reach any time that way, but he wasn't as naïve as before, blurting out unnecessary things. Besides, there was a high risk of her fainting right in his arms. That might sound very pleasant but that would only cause more unnecessary problems for the both of them.

Maybe it wouldn't be so hard… trying to keep his mouth shut.

* * *

Finding her fiancée wasn't that hard of a task as trying to approach him, not when every guest was expecting their interaction. If only they were normal individuals, she could approach him without any worry of it being gossiped about in the tabloids. However, no matter how much she wished for that, it could never be true because this was their reality: Haruno Sakura was related to the clan that owned a successful and still growing oil company, the Sabakus, and she was engaged to the heir of the largest business conglomerate in Japan that was now gaining influence in an international level, Uchiha Sasuke. Their broken engagement brought nothing but more publicity towards the two companies that greatly affected their business.

Whether her impulsive decision to break their engagement live brought more profits or not was unknown to her. She cared more about getting a private conversation with her ex-fiancée for many reasons she still wasn't sure off. She just… needed to talk to him―even for only a moment.

* * *

After conversing with a couple who went to remind him of his upcoming seventeenth birthday, he was suddenly reminded of the party's main objective. It was brilliant the way it was scheduled close to his birthday so it could masquerade as his advance birthday celebration with the intention of putting his broken engagement to a close.

It wasn't long until he was notified by one of the servers that his parents were waiting for him in his father's study. Discerning his father's aim, he obediently went to where his father was waiting without a fuss. This time, he wasn't going to listen to any of them anymore.

He would do things his own way, the way he wanted it.

"Sasuke," his mother greeted warmly when he went inside, distracting him for a moment. Why was his mother here? She wasn't usually present in his conversations with his father. She shouldn't be…

"Mother, why are you here?" Sasuke asked, making his mother smile reticently.

Was his decision that crucial to both of them?

"I've heard about this girl, Akashi Karin," Fugaku started critically. "And there had been a rumor going around that she's your _fiancée_; is this true, Sasuke?"

He didn't hesitate with his answer. "She's the one I chose to marry, father," Sasuke replied confidently. "I didn't choose her for the simple reason of increasing the family fortune like you father."

Mikoto could only watch tensely as the atmosphere became heavier. She didn't scold her son like how she usually would, but remained a silent spectator just like she promised her husband she would do.

"So you're saying that you love this Karin girl?" Fugaku's gaze narrowed dangerously, daring his son to test him. When Sasuke didn't provide him with a reply, he added realistically, "Do you love her that much that you would ruin this company? The moment you announce that girl as your fiancée, we could end up losing more than half our partners and assets. If they find you showing even the slightest bit of irresponsibility and incompetence, they would cut ties with our company out of self-preservation. What the company needs is not a strength of will with a misguided sense of romance, but analytical and theoretical thinking, and you won't impress anyone with that kind of impulsiveness.

"Too much publicity in a business doesn't necessarily mean good publicity because any negative publicity could wreck it, you should be aware of than more than anyone."

"I know," Sasuke replied knowledgably. "But I want to make my life the way I want it."

"You would punish this company to satisfy your own individuality. It took every ounce of time and effort for my grandfather to build this company to what it is today and you're willing to forsake it for one simple little girl."

Sasuke turned away, annoyed that he couldn't bring himself to ignore his father's scolding. Everything his father was saying was true. The moment he announced Karin as his fiancée, their company's fortune could all be lost. That was how much was at stake.

Did they really want him to marry Sakura that badly? Was that really the only choice he had?

"If you really want to remain the stubborn and spoiled boy you are, then introduce that girl as your fiancée."

Both mother and son turned to him with stunned expressions. What?

"But that just proves to me that you'll never be worthy of being the heir of the Uchiha clan."

"Wait," Sasuke managed to say despite the shock trying to settle in, "You're giving me the power to make this decision?"

"It won't be long until you'll be the next head of the Uchiha clan, and you'll either lead it to prosperity or destruction. It's out of my hands, but whatever decision you make; it'll be your conscience on the line." Fugaku sighed, his composure faltering a bit. That decision was one of the hardest ones he had made in his entire business career, and he was handing it to his youngest son, who was clearly not ready.

"You have to make your announcement in an hour. Make your decision by then. You're dismissed."

Sasuke walked out of the room, barely hearing the sound of the door shutting behind him.

His father was leaving it all up to him, was he? He was making him choose: saving the clan or destroying it; Sakura or Karin.

It would be easier to choose Sakura, but that wasn't what he wanted. Besides, he already promised Karin that he'd marry her. Marry her… damn!

It was the same as forcing his hand. Now, he couldn't afford to make blind decisions.

He was stuck and he only had an hour to get himself out of the hole he put himself into.

* * *

"Are you sure about this Fugaku?" Mikoto asked, leaning on her husband's desk while he peered at her exhaustedly.

"Itachi was right; our son still hasn't grown up."

"And that's why you're giving him such a task," Mikoto said intuitively. "Still, isn't that going too far? The kind of pressure you're putting him under―"

"That's exactly the kind of pressure I'm exposed to every single day," Fugaku retorted strongly, startling his wife because of his sudden outburst. Sighing for scaring the mother of his children, he stood up from his seat and walked around the table until he stood before her. His hands were gentle in taking her still ones. "I'm sorry Mikoto. Maybe I'm not as confident as I seem to be."

Mikoto's eyes gleamed with understanding. "I know."

"We have such strong-willed and difficult sons, don't we?"

"But they're still _incredibly_ cute little boys," Mikoto giggled.

That was his wife―still the same doting parent. Well, it was better that one of them was assuming that role for their children or they would've grown into heartless sociopaths.

Fortunately, his sons were nothing like that, and it was all thanks to his wife.

"They'll always be little in your eyes," Fugaku teased lightly, his worries almost forgotten. If Mikoto wasn't here… what was he going to do without her by his side?

"Of course," Mikoto didn't hesitate to reply. This woman was _definitely_ the mother of his children.

They both enjoyed the weightless atmosphere until he remembered what his wife would have to face later on.

"What about you Mikoto? My part is now done, but soon it'll be your turn. Are you sure you'll be able to handle it?" he asked out of concern.

Mikoto laughed, not the least bit worried. "I can handle it, don't worry. I've already seen her earlier this evening. I'll tell her before the end of the party."

"Is this really the best time to tell her?" Fugaku asked uncertainly.

"If now, then when? When she finally realizes that we've lied to her from the very beginning?"

* * *

"Let me go!" Sakura protested, jerking her arm out of her captor's grip. She was now locked in a small room filled with a furniture sofa, a fourteen inch flat screen television and simple decorations that could be seen in a regular living room. However, they weren't in an average house, but in the Uchiha manor. Now she was stuck in this room with her only way out blocked by her captor.

"Sit down," he ordered.

"No," Sakura said defiantly. How could she be afraid when her kidnapper was none other than her own older brother, Sabaku Gaara? "Let me out of here, nii-chan."

"Have it your way; you won't be leaving this room anyway," Gaara shrugged uncaringly.

With a shrilling growl of frustration, Sakura swung towards the sofa in the middle of the room and dropped carelessly on its soft cushions. Of all the insanity her brother could do, he just had to take her away―kidnap more like―and lock her in this room. And she was just about to approach her fiancée too! It was clear to Sakura why he did it too. As the best candidate to be the heir of the Sabaku Corporation, he had to protect the future of the company even from his reckless little sister.

Sakura knew that he was trying to stop her from doing the same thing she did at her own party, but―screw this! She only wanted to have a small conversation with her ex-fiancée. She wasn't going to do anything drastic, not in this party.

"When you see him, what are you going to do then?" Gaara suddenly asked, making Sakura look up at him with an annoyed glare. "Confess your love to him," he finished, wiping away his sister's anger in a swipe, leaving nothing but anxiousness.

Her mental state went into a panic. "That… wasn't what I wanted to do!" She shook with uncertainty. She wasn't planning on pouring her heart out to him. She was only trying to find out if his letter still reflected the same feelings he had in the past. If their chance wasn't only in the past…

Who was she kidding? She _did_ want to pour her heart out to him.

"You'll remain here for the remainder of the party," Gaara decided strictly. "I won't let you make a fool of yourself."

It was the same as rejection slapping her in the face. The moment he turned away from her, she was reminded of all the times when they were still in conflict with one another. Why? Why did it seem that no matter how much she thought they got closer, the farther away they seemed to be?

"Why?" Sakura murmured jadedly. "I've thought it was best to ignore it, but no matter how much I thought our relationship is changing, it hasn't really changed, has it?" She recalled the time when she tried to reconcile with him only for him to ignore her very existence and walk away. "You'll never truly accept me as your sister, will you?"

After all that effort, nothing had changed.

Gaara didn't even seem to be shaken by Sakura's dilemma and merely repeated firmly, "I'm keeping you out of that party and that's the end of it." If being the cruel and uncaring older brother was what it took to keep her here, he wouldn't hesitate to take that part. He couldn't bring himself to be the nice and caring older sibling at the moment.

He was still annoyed that he had to listen to that Uchiha.

"_If you value Sakura's reputation and well being, I suggest you bring her to one of our waiting rooms and keep her there until the hype ends," Itachi stated with a secretive smirk._

"_What are you talking about?" Gaara asked suspiciously, reluctant to trust the Uchiha after what he just pulled with his sister._

"_I believe that when my little brother makes his announcement, something big will come to light that will greatly affect our dear little Sakura."_

That wasn't enough to ease his qualms. This was Uchiha Itachi he was facing, the man who successfully took leadership of his own clan only to mysteriously step down due to unknown reasons. He was not only manipulative but deceitful as well; traits that served to be advantageous to his previous role as the head of the Uchiha clan.

Still, the way he looked at Sakura when he saw recognition in her eyes told Gaara a different story. He refused to admit it but Itachi's expression was all too familiar to him.

It was the same as his expression whenever he looked at Sakura.

* * *

The time had come.

Everyone had already been called to the ballroom where he would make his announcement. He couldn't delay it any further. He barely even noticed Karin walking by his side, trying to talk to him out of concern. All of his focus was centered on the stage before him, where he had to make a choice. It was a decision he never thought he would have a hard time in making.

"Sasuke," Karin called softly albeit calling for the umpteenth time. This time, he finally turned to her, showing her the evidence of his indecisiveness. "Did something happen?"

This woman was the one who stuck by his side when everyone else chose to abandon him. Betraying her would be out of the question.

He looked around the crowd who were now regarding him with curiosity, impatience and wonder to see where the girl he was betrothed to was lingering. Finding her nowhere in the massive crowd, he averted his gaze towards the stage and went towards the center.

There was no more need to hesitate. To hell with the consequences, he had to be true to himself.

* * *

The screen in the room opened out of nowhere, which the two occupants of the room didn't notice until they heard Uchiha Sasuke's voice in the room, introducing himself.

Sakura immediately bolted out of her seat, while Gaara watched her closely even when his head was turned towards the television screen she was watching.

This was it. Whatever he would decide would change their lives completely.

Sakura was starting to lose all hope. Seeing his face on the screen gave her the intuitive feeling that she already knew his decision.

* * *

The occupants waited patiently for the most important part of the speech. The introduction was brief, but was closely followed by a small history of the Uchiha clan that only increased everyone's anticipation.

It wasn't long after that that their apprehension was quelled.

"I am here to announce my fiancée―"

"_Sasuke-kun! Wait for me!" a sweet childish voice suddenly called out._

The words died out of Sasuke's mouth as a video suddenly played from the screen behind him. He turned around and could only stare with Karin in shock as the audience watched the scene in fascination.

Kiba smirked, amused by the scandalous turn of events. "Well, what do you know; there was hope after all."

Naruto barely made it in the room in time, almost bumping into another occupant at the edge of the room. He sighed in relief, watching the video with a smile and murmured, "They made it in time."

He didn't know what the contents of the video were, which was why he came here just to see them. He observed from the side of the room as the clip continued to play.

"_You're so slow," Sasuke grunted impatiently with a frown._

_Sakura flushed in anger and whined, "You said you were going to wait for me. You're so mean!" She started sobbing, unknowingly manipulating her friend in the right direction._

_Guilt driven at the sight of her tears, Sasuke held his hand out uneasily, "I'll hold your hand then."_

Sakura's reaction wasn't seen as the clip was cut short, replacing another in a different setting. It was during a party and the camera zoomed towards the timid Sakura, standing alone on the dance floor, gazing at the dancing couples with suppressed fascination.

Sasuke came into the screen, tapping the smaller girl's shoulder and asking her diffidently if she wanted to dance. Her face lit up with a beam and she was the one who dragged him further into the dance floor.

Gaara looked at the screen silently, recalling the event as it played. He didn't expect it to be taped though. He could image who owned this video. Now that he thought about it, he distinctly remembered Haruno Sora coaxing both Sasuke and Sakura to act natural for the video camera he was pointing at them.

The scene changed once more. This time, the incoherent voices of two adults were heard shortly until the camera focused once more into the two children at another party.

"_I like Sakura very, very much," Sasuke proclaimed openly, earning a few sets of chuckles from the people taking the video._

"_How about you Sakura-chan?" Mikoto voice could be heard asking the little girl off camera._

_Sakura nodded cutely, "I really like Sasuke-kun!"_

"_That's why when I grow older; I'm going to make Sakura my bride." The little boy became confused, possibly from the weird expressions the adults were giving him off camera. Feeling like he made a mistake, he asked innocently, "I can't?"_

"_No, no―it's not that honey," Mikoto came into the picture and patted her son's head. "You can't decide that on your own. You have to ask Sakura-chan first, okay?"_

"_Okay," he nodded with a smile and turned towards the silent girl. "Can you be my bride, Sakura?"_

"_Okay," Sakura smiled, agreeing in an instant._

Saying that he was happy was an understatement. When the video came to a close, Naruto felt like he was finally beginning to understand his best friend.

_After hearing about Shikamaru's engagement, Naruto felt like discussing the issue with his best friend, but at that moment, they were more like rivals in Naruto's eyes. Uchiha Sasuke was someone Naruto admired and desperately wanted to surpass._

_All this talk about engagements… Naruto wondered if he would be in the same situation._

_They were hanging out during lunch time by the school grounds, isolated from everyone else. Well, both would prefer to refer to it as privacy._

"_Hey, what do you think about being engaged?" Naruto asked his quiet companion. "It kinda scares me, since I might get into the same position." He was still on the path of understanding how his parents would handle his future._

"_Well, what would you do if you become engaged?" Sasuke answered back with his own question._

_Naruto frowned in disdain, "Don't jinx my future, teme!"_

"_Then again, the girl might break it off the moment she looks at you," Sasuke chuckled._

"_Are you calling me unattractive, bastard!"_

"_I don't swing that way, dumb ass," Sasuke countered without losing his cool composure. "Besides, you shouldn't worry too much about it. You won't have to experience something like that."_

"_How would you know?" Naruto pouted, still annoyed with Sasuke's recent insult._

"_I just know," Sasuke shrugged confidently._

"_How can you remain so cool headed? You never know when your parents might suddenly decide to tell you that you have an arra―"_

"_But I already have one," the Uchiha scoffed, smirking at the gaping Naruto. "I already have someone I'm going to marry," he explained before Naruto could bother to ask._

_Naruto was silent for a while, taking a moment to digest the shocking information Sasuke had given him. His rival was already… engaged? That was how huge their gap was. That was how mature Uchiha Sasuke was?_

_He didn't believe it._

"_So did you give this girl one of those engagement rings?" Naruto asked humorously, playing along with Sasuke's joke._

"_I never thought of getting those yet."_

_Naruto was instantly rendered silent. Was this guy serious?_

"_But I have this," he took out a silver necklace and showed it the flabbergasted Naruto. "When I get the chance to see her again, I was planning on giving her this. You can call it the same as an engagement ring."_

That necklace was the same as the one he saw in Sakura-chan's possession.

Finally, he could start making sense of all of this mumbo jumbo.

_**TBC**_

* * *

**AN: **So, I hope that explained many of the frequent questions. Did anybody like the moments of each pairing? I know I keep delaying the Sasuke and Sakura, but Karin is still present. I can't just slap them together so everyone can enjoy reading them making out. That will all come in time.

I won't be doing a sneak peak for the next chapter, but I will tell you guys that you will finally see inside Sasuke's head and possibly Tsubasa's as well next chapter.

Hopefully Tsubasa's character is finally becoming clearer. I did it in that format since I know many readers dislike OC, so reading about her past for three to five pages wouldn't be pleasant and possibly boring for most of you.

Please do not worry that the main pairing will get together only at the very last chapter. No, I will explore on their relationship a bit when they finally get together. It's all part of the plot people. For now, I hope you enjoyed the small ShikaTem and NaruHina moments.

Lastly, the links to see the women's attire can be seen in my profile. Sakura's is a combination of two dresses, so just base the dress with the description.

* * *

**Updated: **February 19, 2011


	29. Fiancée Part 1

**Engagement On Hold**

**Summary:** (AU) Uchiha Sasuke is Konoha High's reigning prince. Haruno Sakura is…? Who is she again? What happens when the guy everybody knows finds himself engaged to the girl nobody knows?

**Genre:** Romance/Humor/Drama

**Pairings:** Sasuke/Sakura, Naruto/Hinata, Shikamaru/Temari

**Author:** pei-chan

**Disclaimer:** Wouldn't it be nice if Sasuke and Sakura were really engaged in the Naruto series? Then again, that would only occur in our dreams… ne?

**A/N: **Not much Sakura in this chapter; it will focus more on their families (Uchihas and Sabakus) reactions and backgrounds. There will also be some character development in both families. No worries though, since Sakura isn't here, Sasuke will be my compensation. Well, unless he pisses you guys off, which I assume will be most likely.

Oh, and since I've been making the same grammatical mistake about the word fiancé, I've tried to correct that mistake in this chapter. Hopefully I used the right term in correlation with the right gender. I will fix the rest when I have time. For now, I hope the length of this chapter will suffice since I've been busy with my planning my parents silver anniversary that's happening on this day.

I would like to thank all of you who have supported this story. I cannot believe my eyes when I saw that over a total of 1,000 people have favorite this story. I mean, wow―that is unbelievable! It would be nice to see some of those people review though; just a thought.

By the way, this chapter was annoying to write. Since it involved so many characters, I had to think twice on how each would react in their situation. That included event planning is not a good combination. I hope the hard work I put in this was worth it.

* * *

**Chapter 29―Fiancée (Part 1)**

Most of the audience might have regarded the video purely as a source of entertainment, but others saw it in an entirely negative light.

Karin tensed near the stage and was grateful that she was hidden away from the audience's vision.

That wasn't right. How could that be?

"_I won't leave you."_

She felt crushed. Could she still believe that? Was it still alright to keep hoping or had it all been for nothing?

As the weight of the whole room's gaze turned to the only person present from the videos, Sasuke calmly stated, "In the past, Haruno Sakura and I became engaged. However, we grew up apart from each other where we met different people who also had a great impact in our lives and made us into who we are today. Influenced by our own respective experiences, our feelings also matured and we were finally beginning to understand our family's expectations."

What the hell was he doing? Naruto thought in alarm.

"Eventually, I fell in love and decided to make that woman my fiancée." He averted his gaze momentarily towards Karin, who stared at him in bewilderment and continued, "For her own protection, I won't disclose her identity."

Hinata fidgeted fearfully. Wasn't that exactly the same as saying that he confirmed Sakura's announcement of breaking their engagement? Sasuke was clearly broadcasting that there was another woman in his life, and Hinata definitely knew who.

It wasn't only Hinata who regarded Sasuke's speech as upsetting, but they were too stunned to even begin to register the emotion.

What could be going on inside Sasuke's mind to make that choice?

* * *

If there was one thing Gaara hated, it was feeling helpless. But at that moment, there was nothing he could do to change what had just occurred. He couldn't even turn to look at Sakura who had stiffened beside him with her eyes downcast.

She was going to cry and there was nothing he could say or do to comfort her. He couldn't go to her because he knew he was also the cause of her sadness. Indirectly as it may be, he contributed to this event. He was partly to blame for this.

If only he didn't put too much trust in Uchiha Sasuke to do the right thing.

His thoughts were instantly shattered when the sound of a phone ringing engulfed the silent room. Sakura slowly took it out and with her pain stricken eyes read the caller ID. Her expression softened at who it was. It was then that Gaara saw it. Right when Sakura answered her phone. She was crying, but she greeted the person on the other line, professionally masking her feelings.

She talked as if nothing was wrong, and Gaara continued to observe her closely. He noticed the sudden perplexed expression on her features until she made an agreeable reply of surrender.

"Okay, I'll go with you."

Who was the person on the other line? Not wanting to be kept in suspense any longer, Gaara asked, "Who was that?"

Sakura didn't bother to wipe her wet cheeks, unconcerned about her personal appearance and answered frankly, "It was Sai, a classmate of mine. He was asking me out again." She smiled lightly at his persistence.

"And what did you say?"

"I said 'yes'." The look in her eyes clearly told Gaara that she wasn't lying.

* * *

At the same time Sasuke made his decision, Mikoto and Fugaku had a problem of their own to solve when they were finally found by the person that they had been expecting.

"Mikoto," there was urgency and hesitation in the voice that the couple heard.

Fugaku peered at his wife in concern, which Mikoto tried to relieve by calmly telling him it was going to be fine. Yet Fugaku remained uneasy. Haruno Sumire was already here confronting them, and they had no other choice but to admit that they had lied to the woman all along.

When Sumire saw no remorse or any hint of apology in either of their expressions, her humiliation grew, igniting her anger at her gullibility, and causing her to snap out, "Is that why you decided to befriend me: because you knew my husband and promised him that you would look out for me?

"All this time as I talked about him, you were pretending you knew nothing about him. Was it that entertaining to watch me talking about my dead husband that you were close friends with before he died?"

Mikoto was ready for this kind of questioning and answered as sincerely as she could, "Yes, it's true that our family was good friends with Sora when you two lived separately, but we knew nothing about you until he died. He didn't want to burden us with his problems, so he didn't mention the complications in his marriage. But no, he never asked us to watch over you when he passed away.

"We didn't even know who you were until you told us about Sakura-chan," Mikoto explained briefly.

Until after their children's engagement had already been arranged.

The moment of silence was liberating to the point where Mikoto safely deciphered that they had come into a mutual understanding. It was immediately proved that Mikoto was gravely mistaken when Sumire blurted out, "First it was my husband… why are you trying to take away my daughter too?"

Mikoto was at a loss for words. She didn't have anything ready for this kind of development.

"How many people from my family do you have to take away until you are satisfied?"

* * *

Itachi closed the television and shifted comfortably on the couch he was sitting in. He gave no reaction to the door crashing open with a loud bang and his little brother marching in angrily, glaring at him furiously. "I was just wondering when you were going to show up," he said nonchalantly.

"Bastard! How dare you try to manipulate me!"

Itachi chuckled demurely, "Manipulate you; when have I ever done such a thing?"

"Don't pretend you don't know when that video showed _exactly_ what you tried to do." Sasuke gritted his teeth, trying to control the increasing urge to hit his brother with all the power he could muster.

"The video? That was quite cute; the clip at the very end was the most entertaining though."

If Itachi's goal was to drive Sasuke over the edge, then he succeeded admirably when Sasuke rushed towards him and yanked his suit threateningly. Itachi merely returned the eye contact with the same cavalier disposition as a stone. Now it wasn't only Itachi's actions that infuriated Sasuke, but also his lack of care towards his anger. Damn him―damn it all!

"Transferring your anger towards me won't make it go away, Sasuke. Keep running away from it, and you'll only bring it back stronger than before."

Sasuke's grip on Itachi's collar loosened when he detected a tinge of gentleness in his older brother's statement. What was he talking about?

"But then you can also remain the fool that you are if you keep pretending you don't realize it," Itachi chuckled, reverting back to his old self.

Disgusted with himself for letting his emotions run his brain like that, he released his brother abruptly and stepped away from him. "If you wanted to force my decision by showing that video―it didn't work. I went with _my_ decision."

"Oh really," the woman's voice was stressed by the door bursting open from behind them. "Is _that_ really what I did?"

Sabaku Temari.

* * *

"Isn't Haruno Sakura the Sabaku's half sister?"

"What's the story behind that anyway? I've always wanted to know."

"You _do_ know who the Harunos are, right?"

Kankuro sauntered around the room, picking up the bits and pieces of gossip floating around the room.

The redundancy of the topic was to be expected. Gossip usually went around in circles, going through the same topic over and over again and exaggerating it to the point of ridicule. It never got close to the truth, and yet many were satisfied with the small fraction of facts it contained.

There were times when Kankuro found it hilarious with how farfetched the stories were, but there were also moments when he wanted to shut people's mouths from going off about degrading and insulting remarks about his family.

It had been a topic in the rumors. The Uchiha clan wasn't the only one who had issues about inheritance. His family, the Sabakus also had the same dilemma. Well, it wasn't exactly a serious problem not when the three of them were passing on the responsibility that not one of them really wanted. None cared about their inheritance or the overwhelming wealth of the Sabaku oil company. Due to their stepmother's―mother's in Gaara's case―unique sense of upbringing, they grew up differently from their peers. They were like a regular working class family with a stock of financial resources at their disposal.

It wasn't until Sakura came into the picture did their lifestyle change. They moved away from their small home and back to their father's estate. When their father passed away, their mother must've felt wrong staying there and moved to a regular home. However, since it was decided that Sakura would live with them when her father died, they went back to their family manor and took everything that went along with it: social standing, money and the restrictions.

Unlike them, Sakura was born and raised in the restricted atmosphere they had left behind when children and resumed when adolescents. She had the opposite circumstances from them: trying to live luxuriously with little or close to no financial resources to maintain it. She was used to being reserved and proper, so Kankuro assumed that she was bragging her skills to them. Like the rest of his siblings, Kankuro didn't like Sakura in the past.

Sure, her family, the Harunos might have the nice family history as one of the important political families in the past, but that was all they had. Now that Japan was influenced through financial means―in other words, without money, no one will listen to you―the Haruno family were on the verge of losing its former glory. Having no money at their disposal, they should be thanking their mother, Sumire, for saving them by marrying their son, Haruno Sora thereby giving them the money they needed to survive. Instead, they called their mother incompetent and made lots of excuses not to welcome her into the family. It was only to be expected that her children would be used as an excuse as well, which was why Kankuro didn't like Haruno Sora.

If he really loved their mother like he said he did, why didn't he fight for her? Why didn't he fight to keep their family together?

* * *

"This is a private conversation, Sabaku-san. Now run along before I get you sued for trespassing," Sasuke threatened impatiently.

Meanwhile, Shikamaru who stood quietly behind Temari sighed uninterestedly and thought sarcastically, _Get sued for what? Eavesdropping?_

Well, that was new.

Temari remained impervious at the young Uchiha's threats and added, "If you want to complain about the video that I showed, go ahead―do your worst."

Sasuke finally heard her correctly this time. "It was you? _You_ were the one who showed that video?"

"That's right."

It was Sasuke's turn to smirk, not the least bit intimidated. If it wasn't Itachi then― "have you gotten what you wanted, or have all your efforts been in vain?"

Shikamaru didn't feel like staying silent anymore and tried to defend Temari only to be halted by her when she brought her arm up in gesture. "Actually I did," Temari said calmly, "get what I wanted." Shikamaru obliged her silent wish, but didn't relax in case she did need him.

"Oh?"

"I finally managed to prove that you're not worthy of Sakura."

"You went through that whole ordeal just to prove that? You should've just asked me."

Temari flinched at the coldness of his tone, but didn't show him how aggravated she felt.

Luckily, there was someone else who was brave enough to challenge Sasuke.

"I dare you to say that again, Uchiha," Gaara dared, walking in the room and spreading a dangerous aura to its occupants.

"Why do you people keep coming and bothering me?" Sasuke remarked with great displeasure. "But I don't understand why you feel so angry? There are a lot more guys out there who you can pin her wi―"

It was as sudden as him coming through the door. Sasuke didn't even finish his sentence when Gaara punched him, accurately hitting him by the jaw and bringing him stumbling back. That was it―he was through staying as a spectator! "Have you ever thought about why I haven't protested with your engagement with Sakura?"

Sasuke tasted the blood in his mouth, but retained his arrogant yet cool composure. "You should know by now that I couldn't care less."

Gaara disregarded Sasuke's bravado and continued, "Why do you think I passed on your message at that time when you were so hung up on seeing her?"

Message?

Sasuke didn't show any recollection from Gaara's statement, but before Gaara could elaborate, Itachi interjected unhelpfully, "So Sasuke _really_ became smitten with her?"

"I was not smitten―!" Sasuke retorted strongly only to abruptly cut himself short when Itachi's comment connected with Gaara's previous statement.

_"I need a favor," Sasuke asked calmly._

_"No way," Gaara denied immediately without bothering to listen the details._

_"You haven't heard it yet." Sasuke gave a low glare._

_Gaara shrugged indifferently. "Doesn't matter."_

_"I'll pay you," Sasuke bribed._

_"Cut your head off and put it on a platter," Gaara stated calmly and hardheartedly. He really hated Sasuke's guts. Maybe that would be one way he would finally be fond of the Uchiha. He might just grind his head and burn the remains._

_Okay… maybe, he did hate Sasuke with a bloody passion._

_"That's not an option," Sasuke snarled._

_"We have nothing to talk about," Gaara concluded with a scowl before turning around, trying to walk away from Sasuke. He really didn't want to talk to him anymore. There wasn't anything for them to talk about. Nothing at all._

_"Wait," Sasuke called out once more, but this time, Gaara didn't bother turning around to listen to him. Damn. He couldn't let him walk away. No. He needed to ask him something. He needed to know something before he went._

_"Wait damn it!" Sasuke snapped with a scowl. "That girl… during the festival. You know her, don't you?"_

_Gaara instantly stopped. "I don't know who you're talking about."_

_Sasuke was relieved that Gaara had finally given him a chance to talk. It would be at least easier for him. "That mysterious pink-haired girl during the festival―Naruto said that you could help me get in touch with her."_

Was Gaara talking about that time? That time when Sasuke still wasn't sure who Sakura was?

Gaara wasn't satisfied, however, and went onwards. Remembering wasn't enough. "I could've stopped the two of you from meeting by not telling her that you wanted to see her, but I didn't." He had the power to control their fate at that very moment, but chose to help them connect with each other. Even though he vowed to protect his sister after they reconciled, he still helped Uchiha Sasuke meet his sister, knowing at the back of his mind that it could end up with his little sister being heartbroken. "Why do you think that is?"

* * *

"_I'm sorry Sumire; this is the only way I can protect you."_

"_But for us to live separately…"_

"_I know… but I believe that there will come a time when we can proudly live together as a family with no worries of putting the children's futures in jeopardy. Stay strong for me until then."_

Sumire might have been an adult at that time, but the difficulty of their circumstance closed all of their options. The optimism she tried so hard to maintain wasn't enough to oppose reality.

She would've let go of everything to be with Haruno Sora. She would've given up anything, but she couldn't give up the children her previous husband had entrusted to her. That she couldn't do, and even Sora was opposed to it.

"_Regardless of them having no other relatives, they're your children, Sumire, even if you didn't give birth to all of them."_

Ironically, the one child she did have to give up was their only daughter, Sakura. Sora's mother told her that a Haruno should be raised as a Haruno, and Sumire had no choice but to let her daughter live away from them. Her daughter grew up without being raised by her own mother, all because of the fear of what Sora's mother would do.

If they fought the old woman, Temari, Kankuro, Gaara and possibly even Sakura would reap the consequences. The Harunos might not have the money, but they still had plenty of influential connections that could ruin those children's futures. That was the reason why she had to endure living apart no matter what.

Their fortunes had started to turn when they were allowed to spend holidays and special occasions as a family. It even grew to the point where they could start attending the same parties, but Sumire's full wish was never fulfilled when Sora died unexpectedly.

Sumire had been devastated, and she fell into a depression. She didn't even notice how much she had neglected the three children under her care until shortly after it was decided that Sakura would move in with them. The moment she saw the child she barely recognized, yet was very familiar with, Sumire was awakened from her nightmare. She finally realized that Sora wouldn't want her to be that way and took her role seriously.

In spite of having almost no experience with running a company, she took her position as the head of the Sabaku company until Gaara (after Kankuro flatly refused) attained legal age to run the company himself. She tried to provide each and every one of them the education they needed―albeit reluctantly―to get accepted into the high society that they would be expected to move in when they came of age. For the most part, she had succeeded until her youngest daughter went into her own rebellious stage and tried to hide her background from her peers.

Despite Sakura's rebellion, Sumire didn't try to force anything else towards the girl, not when Sakura was already distant from her. Even when a close relationship between mother and daughter was starting to form, Sumire didn't expect everything to go smoothly.

Now of all times, she had to find out that the family who supported her and whom she became friends with were the same people who had been close to her husband and daughter when they were living separately, and was the same family she had arranged for her daughter to be part of in the future via an arranged marriage. The irony of it was irritating.

* * *

While Karin was left to wait for Sasuke as he tried to resolve the problem with his family, she was left alone by the corridor, contemplating about her own feelings. The void of doubt she had ever since she came back had grown smaller, yet still existed.

She needed more proof, but what? What more did she want to be sure off? Sasuke had unofficially announced their engagement. Even though he didn't mention her by name; that should be enough proof, right?

Right?

"Are you alright?" a concerned voice asked, making Karin flustered over her inattentiveness. She then realized that this stranger must've seen her vulnerable expression and turned away with a bashful nod.

The stranger didn't leave, but took a seat beside her, not too close but with just enough distance to respect her personal space. "You looked like you were about to cry. Are you sure you're alright?"

Was she really crying? She must've or this woman would've already gone on her merry way and left her alone.

"Do you want to talk about it?"

Why should this person be concerned about something that was none of her business? Regardless of Karin's bitterness, she tried to reply as politely as she tried to dismiss the stranger's concerns, "It doesn't matter because it won't change anything."

"But talking about it can help you feel better."

So what? The feeling would just come back later. "Why do you want to get involved with another person's problems so much?" Karin asked with a snarl. "You won't help with the problem anyway."

The woman didn't take offense, but even smiled at her. "You're right; I can't even solve my own problems and here I am trying to help you with yours. But if only I had someone I could confide with about my problems, they might have the answers I'm looking for."

Another person would have the answers?

"Sometimes a third person's perspective can help you see the problem in a different angle that you might not see yourself."

Another person's perspective…? Seeing how much older this woman was compared to Karin, she knew her concerns would look like a miniscule and unnecessary problem. "But then… wouldn't it also be possible that they'll never understand your feelings, and think that your problems are meaningless compared to their own?"

The stranger wasn't swayed however, "Why does it need to be distinguished if it's something of great significance to you?" But as if recanting the probing statement, the stranger apologized, "I'm sorry for prying. If you don't want to tell me, you don't have to. It's just that… you remind me of myself when I was younger. At that time I wished that there was someone I could share my problems with. Seeing myself in your situation, I couldn't help but try to offer my assistance. Forgive me. I'll leave you alone then―"

"I've won," Karin blurted out, forcing the stranger to stay. "I've tried telling myself that it should be enough, and I should be satisfied. After all… he picked me! I was the one he chose… so why don't I feel happy at all?"

"What is it that's making you unhappy?"

A question wasn't what Karin wanted to hear―she wanted answers―so that she could make sense of her feelings. "I don't know. I don't even know what I want."

"This person… do you love him?"

Love Sasuke? Yes, yes, she did love him. She didn't even notice that she said it out loud.

"What about him? Has he told you what he feels about you?"

What he felt about her? She had no clue. No clue at all. Karin only had her intuition to base on, and at the moment, it wasn't so reliable.

Karin was right all along. There was no way a stranger could understand, but then again, she had barely touched the surface of her problem.

"Maybe that _is _the problem; what you're worried about the most is the uncertainty of not knowing how he feels about you."

But… "We already promised―he promised me that I would be the one he was going to marry."

_It happened after Karin saw him in such a vulnerable state during that rainy day. That incident wasn't enough to get Sasuke to completely warm up to her, but because of her unrelenting persistence, he eventually got used to having her around him._

"_Karin, you love me don't you?" Sasuke abruptly asked one time when they were alone together in school._

_Karin turned to him mutely; too embarrassed to even admit the obvious. Was he… going to reject her?_

_It would seem that Sasuke wasn't waiting for an answer and went on, "If you love me, then be my wife."_

_Karin was too stunned to reply. Could this be a dream?_

"_Stay by my side."_

_They were twelve at that time._

"A promise… you say…?" The woman chanted in a trance that made Karin suddenly realize what she had done.

She had just admitted something personal to a complete stranger.

"How sad; girls your age should be talking about love, not some obligatory bond."

Karin immediately flared, "It's not an obligation―it's a promise!"

"Isn't that the same thing?"

The question pierced Karin like a sharp knife, cutting her confidence into shreds. Trying to keep up her tough exterior, she pointed out snobbishly, "I thought you said I'll feel better when I talk about it. You haven't done a good job since the beginning."

"I'm sorry. That was never my intention. It's just that when you talk about 'promises', you sound so mature but I can see that you're not at that point yet. You still have a long way to go. Seeing you trying so hard, I couldn't help but tease you a little," the woman finished lightly.

"Mother," a new voice called, interrupting their conversation.

The newcomer who arrived during that moment made Karin sweat. She stared at him with wide eyes as she recognized him instantly.

Sabaku Kankuro, Haruno Sakura's stepbrother.

* * *

The first time he met Sakura at a party was when he first witnessed a warm and comforting relationship between two strangers.

Gaara's memory of it wasn't that clear anymore. He had been a kid at that time after all, but his emotions towards the memory were what kept it alive all this time.

_After trying to protect him in vain when she got smacked on the face, he finally noticed Uchiha Sasuke's presence when he punched the attacker fiercely. However, Sasuke didn't seem to be satisfied with one hit and delivered another fatal blow on the person's stomach, bringing the poor kid to his knees._

_The stunned Sakura could only watch as the other boys cowered in fear and eventually ran away, leaving their fallen comrade scrambling right behind their heels. Only when the assailants had left did Sasuke start reprimanding his friend, "You idiot―see what I told you! That's what you get for not listening to me!"_

_Gaara stared at Sakura as she pouted regretfully, yet protested, "But those guys were going to hurt him―"_

"_So that's why you had to stand in front of him? Look who became the punching bag!"_

"_I'm sorry," Sakura quickly apologized when she heard the severity in his voice._

"_That's why I told you to listen to me."_

"_I know already. Stop repeating it," Sakura grumbled in annoyance._

_Gaara watched in awe as they started arguing with each other, but the affection in their demeanors clearly showed they were teasing each other and enjoying it, while not being the least bit offended that they had forgotten him._

_Sakura immediately rectified this by turning to him abruptly, irritating Sasuke since she was ignoring him this time._

"_Hey―I'm still talking here!"_

"_Are you alright?" Sakura leaned over him and inspected his physical state. "They didn't hurt you, did they?"_

_Gaara was too flabbergasted at hearing her concerned remark when he could clearly see the forming bruise on her cheek._

_This girl got hurt because of him. It was entirely _his_ fault._

_Sakura squealed when Sasuke pulled her head back by her forehead, causing her to lose her balance. "Stop that!"_

"_He didn't get hit―_you_ did, idiot," Sasuke pointed out, with heavy sarcasm. "It's your fault for butting in."_

"_I _wasn't_ butting in."_

"_Yes, you were, _too,_ butting in!"_

_Gaara mutely watched the two argue once more until Sakura begrudgingly changed topics once she found her arguments were weak against her friend's onslaught._

"_I don't wanna talk to you anymore," Sakura huffed, folding her arms in front of her._

"_Fine, I was leaving anyway."_

_Gaara wasn't able to watch Sasuke go when Sakura turned to him once more with a beaming smile and asked, "Hey, what's your name?" Gaara didn't know how long he took to answer, but was able to do so when he looked down bashfully and answered in a small voice._

"_Gaara… kun?" Sakura repeated, testing his reaction._

_There had been something off with her calling him so familiarly. If they had met in a pleasant meeting, maybe, he would've let her call him that way, but… "Why would you want to be friends with me? You heard what those kids said, right?"_

_He knew that she heard them saying that his mother didn't want him because of the complexity of their family circumstance, but knowing that she defended him courageously._

"_Why not?" Sakura asked simply, "Why can't I be friends with you? __You know, my best friend told me that there is always someone out there who will cherish you!__"_

That best friend was clear to Gaara now to be Uchiha Sasuke.

"_Really?" Gaara's eyes lit up hopefully._

_With a cheerful nod, she proclaimed, "I'll be your friend―how about it? My name's Haruno Sakura, and Sasuke-kun too, so when those evil kids come, we'll definitely come and save you!"_

_That promise immediately had a protest from afar, "Hey―I'm not making those promises!" Apparently, Sasuke was still close by, listening in._

_Sakura wasn't even alarmed and merely continued to smile at Gaara's confused expression._

The memory saved his childhood, and helped him believe that it was possible to have a close relationship with another human being. Even if he was only a spectator, the indirect experience made him yearn for the same relationship.

Gaara wanted to have the same relationship that Uchiha Sasuke had with Sakura the moment she told him she would be friends with him. If only he didn't find out she was his sister, they could've been the closest of friends.

Ironic as it may be, that memory had also served as a curse that inhibited him from getting closer to his sister. In its messed up way, he didn't feel right protecting or getting close to her. It was as if it wasn't his place to do so.

He was trying to preserve the bond Sakura and Sasuke had when they were younger, though that bond could now already be unfixable. Because as cliché as it sounded, they weren't kids anymore and as annoying as it was when Gaara heard it, Uchiha Sasuke was right. They had grown up into two different people and now had different people who were important to them.

The two kids that Gaara saw that cared for one another was now nothing but a mere memory, and he only looked like an immature brat who tried so hard to protect it.

As much as he hated to admit it, Sasuke's public rejection towards his little sister changed his way of thinking. Now, he could finally work on the relationship he had always wanted to have with Sakura. Still, despite the small benefits the Uchiha's rejection had caused, Gaara couldn't forgive the man for trampling on his sister's feelings once more.

He remembered the incident where Sakura had first cried in front of him.

_"I… I already told myself that it was bound to happen sooner or later," a lone teardrop fell down her cheek, and mingled with the raindrops cascading down her face, but it only triggered a soft sob that made her voice hitch. "But I didn't think it would hurt this much."_

He should make the Uchiha pay for hurting his sister, but that wouldn't erase the pain Sakura had been subjected to. The first time Gaara saw Sakura cry, it confused him. But seeing her cry once again in front of him…

He couldn't take it.

As pleasant as it would've been, Gaara didn't bother challenging the Uchiha into a death match. It wouldn't benefit Sakura in any way, which was why he would grant his wish instead. If Sasuke didn't want Sakura, then Gaara would gladly keep her away from him. It would be much easier than trying to push them towards each other.

"If you're talking about what happened in the past―don't. That means nothing to me now," Sasuke said dismissively.

"You're right; whatever happened in the past doesn't matter. I never liked you anyway; Sakura was the only one who did.

"Don't worry though, because this time I'll make sure we won't bother you ever again. I'll never give you another opportunity to hurt her again." It wasn't a threat―it was a promise.

After saying his piece, he left the room followed by his baffled sister and her manservant, leaving the Uchihas alone.

* * *

Karin could only stare fearfully at Sabaku Kankuro and his mother. How could fate be so cruel as to make _Haruno Sakura's_ mother be the stranger she confided her problems with?

"Mother," Kankuro said, his gaze shifting away from Karin in recognition.

_No!_ Karin screamed mentally. _Don't!_

"That girl is Akashi Karin."

Wait a minute. No one should know about her identity, right? So why was she worried when Sasuke had been careful in trying to protect her.

"Really?" Karin froze when Sumire's gaze slid towards her with interest. "Sasuke's alleged secret fiancée?"

They… knew?

"H…how―?" Karin whispered.

Who was she kidding? The Sabakus had unlimited resources to burn and connections everywhere. It shouldn't be a shock that their mother had known about Karin's identity since the beginning. How distasteful!

This woman was the mother of Karin's rival and enemy and yet― "If you know who I am, why try and help me? What are you trying to pull?"

"It seems that Uchiha Sasuke really is a heartbreaker if he can't even ease his fiancée's doubts and fears."

What the hell? Was this person mocking her?

"I don't know why you don't see it, but marrying someone like that will be a mistake."

Was that what this person was trying to do? Karin wouldn't back down so easily just because Haruno Sakura's mother tried to be helpful to her. "You're just telling me that so your daughter can get back together with him!" Well, she wouldn't fall for it!

Sumire chuckled perceptively, "To be honest with you, I am rather against the two of them being together." Kankuro could be seen darting his gaze back and forth between them in confusion. "If I could have my way, I wouldn't let those two get together, nor would I want you to marry him either."

"You're confusing me," Karin frowned surreptitiously.

"Why are you sacrificing your whole life for somebody who's only taking advantage of you?"

Taking advantage? Sasuke wasn't taking advantage of her!

"You might refuse to see it now, but if you go through with it the one who'll get hurt the most will be you. Unfortunately, I can only tell you what is most likely to happen, but I can't force you to make _that_ decision. It has to come from you.

"If Uchiha Sasuke has to take advantage of someone, it would be better if it's someone else," Sumire said sincerely.

Karin was at a state of perplexity. This person… "Why do you care so much?"

"Because you remind me of what I went through with my husband, but at least I was fortunate enough to know that he did love me. If it had been otherwise, I know for sure that I wouldn't have survived," Sumire finished truthfully. "Before you rush into such a commitment, think about what would be best for you… and him as well."

Now understanding a bit of his mother's feelings, Kankuro departed with Sumire, leaving a silent Karin behind.

* * *

Sasuke gritted his teeth in annoyance. Why couldn't things just go the way he wanted? There were too many obstacles getting in his way, and too many people becoming a hindrance to him. It needed to end. He needed to put an end to all of it!

"Where are mother and father?" he asked urgently, not bothering to face his brother. He would convince his parents to finally agree to have his prior engagement annulled. That was the only way to finally put an end to all these unnecessary complaints.

"Oh, are you planning on going to them to finally put an end to your engagement?" Itachi answered back with another question, completely brushing aside his little brother's question.

"Where are they?" Sasuke growled as he turned around to show Itachi how serious he was.

Unfortunately, that was what Itachi had wanted all along. "I'm afraid it's not that simple, Sasuke." He only chuckled when Sasuke's glare turned into slits of suspicion. "Or rather, I should say that they're not the ones who you should be seeking."

Sasuke didn't have time to play any of these games. He needed to find his parents―now! "What nonsense are you babbling?"

Itachi didn't answer right away. He even elevated Sasuke's apprehension by striding towards the desk, taking out a file from the drawer and letting it drop on the desk with a flop. "You remember that I became the head of the clan when I became eighteen, right Sasuke? Well, before I retired from my post―or I should say: quit―I gave one final order that I made our parents promise to fulfill no matter what. Yes, that's exactly it Sasuke.

"I was the one who ordered your engagement with Sakura, and if you want to completely break off your engagement with Sakura, you'll have to convince me of it." Itachi watched expectantly as the fire in Sasuke's eyes died down at his revelation. "Well, what will you do, Sasuke? "

Sasuke was in a pinch alright. If he had been facing his parents, his stubbornness would be enough for him to get his way even though they would hesitate a bit, but this was his unpredictable brother. Telling him that he loved Karin wouldn't be enough for Itachi that was for sure.

Damn him! Nothing had changed ever since he was a child! Sasuke still felt inferior towards his older brother, the person who continued to ruin everything for him.

"If you're thinking of ways to make me agree to your foolish request, then don't bother. Instead, how about you read this present I have for you," Itachi said, gesturing towards the file on the desk.

"What is that?"

"Think of it as your ticket out if you wished."

Ticket out? That could only mean that there was another catch. Sasuke approached the table and glanced suspiciously at the object.

"It's simple really; all you have to do is read everything in that file, and if you still feel strongly about cutting your ties with Sakura then I will grant your wish."

"What?" Sasuke asked reflexively. It sounded too good to be true.

"That's it," Itachi confirmed. "All you have to do is read everything in that file and make your decision. I will honor it no matter what it is."

So… Sasuke would win either way? It couldn't possibly be that simple. There was something inside of this; something that would affect his decision and make him waver. Taking the file in his hands, he didn't open it immediately but instead asked, "What's in it?"

"Sakura's past… it covers the time when you two were apart."

So… did it finally come down to this?

* * *

Feeling that they had already gone far enough to have a personal conversation of their own, Temari asked, "What was that all about?" However, it sounded too demanding than she initially intended.

"Don't concern yourself about it," was Gaara's dismissive reply.

Temari didn't like being kept in the dark. "Gaara―"

"All you need to know is that our priority is to protect our family. I won't do anything to jeopardize the trust that we finally have with one another."

"Gaara…" Temari's voice was softer now. _How_ _could I not have seen how much you've grown?_

Shikamaru felt bad with intervening right when the two siblings were having a nice moment, but he felt that he had been ignored long enough. They could do their touching bonding moment in their own home where he wouldn't be watching. "If there's nothing else, I'll be going," he tried to walk away, but was quickly seized from behind by Temari's determined grip on his tuxedo.

"Wait, I still need to talk to you after," Temari said to which Shikamaru reluctantly complied with. However, unlike the siblings he was with, Shikamaru was more observant that his spectators and saw Gaara smirk for the briefest moment. What could possibly be amusing in their situation?

Shikamaru didn't have the chance to ask when a new voice came through.

"Ah, there you guys are!"

All of their attention turned towards the voice of none other than Sabaku Kankuro, who was accompanied by his mother, Haruno Sumire. As the two approached them, Kankuro sighed in relief. "We've been looking all over for you guys so we can finally get out of this place."

"Oh, so everyone feels the same way," Temari said speculatively.

Kankuro shrugged, "Well, it's not like there's much left to be here for anyway. We've done what we wanted to get done tonight."

Everything was set. Now that all of them were together, they could finally have their chauffeur bring their vehicle over so they could go home.

"Wait," Temari suddenly blurted out urgently, "Where's Sakura?"

"She left," Gaara informed helpfully.

"She _left_?" Temari repeated. "When?"

"Earlier."

"Using what vehicle? Ours?"

"What else is there to use?" Gaara answered sardonically as if it should be expected.

Temari mentally slapped herself on the face. Ugh, of all the things! _How are we going to get home then?_ It was nice that Gaara was being more caring towards his siblings, but now what were they suppose to use? A taxi? The guests of this event would never let them live it down if they were to find out about it.

They weren't living like commoners anymore! They were supposed to have class if they wanted to continue living in this kind of world. The paparazzi had enough to talk about with their little sister being publicly rejected. No matter how miniscule it may be, the media could somehow spin their standard of living as another reason to degrade Sakura's reputation (if they hadn't already), which they had to avoid at all costs.

Though, how they should do that was still a problem…

It was like she was seeing Shikamaru for the first time, but his jaded stare gave her an idea. One she didn't hesitate to announce.

"Shikamaru will drive us home."

"What?" Kankuro immediately said, forgetting his concern with his mother's silence and was now looking at his sister in wide eyed disbelief.

Apparently, only Shikamaru felt the same, with his slump and careless attitude disappearing to be replaced with shocked irritation. Though he said nothing due to a possible argument they could get into in front of Temari's family, Shikamaru grunted mentally, _And I don't need to be asked?_ This was exactly why Shikamaru didn't bother trying to understand women.

Their argument would only get them nowhere and he would only end up getting exhausted over it.

If this was what Temari wanted to speak to him about, then he was out of here?

He really should've taken his own advice, but chose not to be rude and stayed. Still he wasn't going to comply with such an order without a protest. He did finally voice out his opinion and complained, "Hey, don't decide things on your own, woman."

Hearing Gaara chuckle lightly beside him made Shikamaru annoyed. What was his problem anyway? Just like before, he couldn't ask when their mother finally introduced herself.

"Hello Shikamaru, my name is Haruno Sumire," she greeted him when he averted his gaze towards her. "Welcome to the family!"

_Huh?_ was the only thought that was registering in Shikamaru's brain.

"You're Temari-chan's boyfriend and future husband right," Sumire continued, clasping her hands in delight.

Shikamaru didn't know what was more frightening: the sincerity in her voice or the fact that she was thrilled over it. What kind of family was this? He tried correcting the woman, but he couldn't as she went on an excited narrative monologue on childhood stories about her daughter, which she _thought_ would be an interesting topic of conversation for them.

Temari couldn't stop her mother from pressing on to Shikamaru about the actual status of their relationship. Her mother wouldn't listen anyway. She gave Shikamaru an apologetic smile when he glared at her direction as he listened to Sumire question Shikamaru all their way to his car. She just had to make it up to him next time. At least Temari didn't have to deal with him protesting anymore.

Kankuro stayed behind the group with his brother, relieved that their mother was back to normal. His thoughts went back to the scene he witnessed between Akashi Karin and his mother. How could she compare her relationship with her husband, Haruno Sora with that of Akashi Karin and Uchiha Sasuke? Although that didn't bug him as much as hearing that she was against a relationship between his little sister and Sasuke?

Kankuro had a distant feeling that he wasn't going to find out why, but he did feel relieved that his mother had finally come to her senses. Uchiha Sasuke was bad news anyway.

They were now in the front porch, waiting for the car to be brought up front by one of the valets. Shikamaru breathed a sigh of relief when Sumire was now speaking to her oldest children. At last, he could have a little bit of peace!

Gaara himself had to remind Shikamaru of his unspoken question when he said nonchalantly, "Though I pity you, I do support your relationship." Through Shikamaru's utter speechlessness, Gaara added with a humorous smirk, "You follow everything she says, don't you, manservant?"

Shikamaru could see that nickname being carved in stone. He was never going to live this down―and they weren't even together! There was definitely something wrong with this family!

Ah, the price of being a gentleman.

* * *

Lying on her bed without any signs of sleepiness, she was left to stare at her ceiling disinterestedly. Right when everything felt hopeless, her ringtone echoed loudly in her bedroom. Quickly fumbling through her purse to pick up the call, her shoulders slumped in disappointment when it wasn't who she was expecting.

Who was she kidding? _He _wouldn't call her at this time, nor would he ever. Sasuke had already chosen the woman he wanted. Sakura was nothing to him now.

Nothing.

In the end, her good conscience won and she answered it. "Itachi-nii," she greeted unhappily. There was nothing he could say to her that she needed to hear.

"_Why sound so depressed, Sakura?"_

Sakura couldn't tell if Itachi was playing around or genuinely asking out of sheer concern. She wanted to be bitter and say, "Why do you think?" but she wasn't going to stay on the line with him if this was what he called for. "I want to sleep Itachi-nii. Can't this wait until next time?"

As if Itachi didn't hear her request, he went off topic and mentioned something Sakura didn't want to hear. _"Hearing you talk about remembering how it used to be at the party made me miss the time when I used to take care of the two of you."_

This made Sakura slowly sit up from her bed. She continued to listen, slinging her legs inattentively over the side of the bed. No matter how much she chanted on how she really didn't want to talk about this, she went on and listened anyway, unable to resist. When Itachi paused, Sakura couldn't help but give a realistic and bittersweet reply, "We're not kids anymore, nii-sama."

Itachi chuckled curtly on the other end of the line, _"And yet, even when the two kids I've watched over have grown up, I'm still your nii-san. There are still things I can do for you two even if you don't know it." _

"Is that right?" Sakura didn't know why, but that statement comforted her somewhat. "Itachi-nii, I don't know if I should continue hoping. I feel like giving up." She wanted to give up on him. It should be easier that way.

"_That's your choice,"_ was Itachi's careful reply. "_Are you sure you can easily turn away after finding out what Sasuke did for you?"_

Sakura could feel her chest constricting. This was painful… to listen to. "No matter how remorseful I may be, I don't think Sasuke will ever forgive me for abandoning him when he needed me the most."

She wasn't there when he needed her, but… but―

"I didn't know," Sakura cried regretfully, "How was I supposed to know? How am I supposed to atone for something I had no control over?"

"_Do me a favor? Can you go outside for a bit?"_

The question puzzled Sakura, not understanding how he would know she wasn't outside or why he wanted her to go there. Too exhausted to even protest, she silently agreed and stepped outside her balcony, but halted at what she saw. "What is this?"

Petals were raining down her house. All around her, she could see the soft pink petals floating down as if it was spring again.

They were… Cherry blossom petals.

"How…?" She couldn't even begin to imagine how this have happened.

"_I was reserving it for a special time at the party, but since it didn't happen, I figured not to let the hard work go to waste."_

So he brought them here instead, did he?

"_It's a present… from Sasuke."_

Yes, it sure was. Regardless of where it came from, it was the thought that counted.

"Thank you, Itachi-niisama," Sakura smiled thankfully; the first positive emotion she had that night.

It couldn't even begin to describe how grateful she was.

* * *

Monday didn't come quickly enough for most of the students. The news has already spread about the hidden identity of Uchiha Sasuke's enigmatic fiancée. Without a doubt, most already had their speculations and some were even certain that their information was solid. The new transfer student, Akashi Karin, was Uchiha Sasuke's alleged fiancée, but it remained a rumor that needed to be proven. The only thing left was for Sasuke himself to confirm it.

Their options didn't end there. There was another person who could confirm if the story was true or not. After being rejected on live television by the younger Uchiha, Haruno Sakura should have a definite idea who had taken her place.

Most of the students lingered around the front gate, waiting for one of the three to show up. Unfortunately, only one of those people in question has showed up for school. To everyone's confusion, Sasuke and Sakura showed no signs of coming, though Karin came in the nick of time, right before most had thought of giving up.

Unwilling to be kept in suspense any longer, a mob formed and bombarded Karin with tons of questions.

That was how Ino found the school courtyard that morning. It was packed, with most of the girls clustering around Karin to be the first one to hear the gossip. With their cell phones at the ready to capture Karin's confession, the never ending questions began.

"When did you get engaged with Sasuke?"

"Is it true that he broke his engagement with Haruno Sakura for you?"

Pretty soon, the paparazzi would be here to jump into action. _That_ Ino was sure of. Behind her, Ino heard a contradicting scoff.

"Yeah right; Uchiha Sasuke might just be saying that to protect his _current_ fiancée."

It would seem that not everyone believed Karin to be Sasuke's fiancée. The speculations were split, and the only way for them to make sure what was true was to get it out from the two people who were currently absent.

Where was Sakura anyway? Was she unwilling to come because she was trying to avoid this kind of situation? If that was the case, then Ino could understand.

"Hey, did you hear, Haruno Sakura's not coming to school because she's on a date with Sai."

"Sai? Who's that?"

"He's a transfer student. He's a classmate of mine, but I find the guy kind of weird."

"How do you know that they're going out?"

"I just saw them in casual clothes together before coming here."

"So, are they skipping together? How bold!"

"Hey, I want to skip too…"

The noise level died down the same time Ino realized that what she heard was correct. Sakura and Sai were… dating. No, no―it couldn't be! That couldn't be true. Sakura promised her.

_"You know I will never do anything to hurt you."_

Sakura wouldn't betray her. She―

"Idiotic woman," Ino briskly heard Shikamaru murmuring in her ear in disappointment, "If you want to make a scene that badly, at least don't do anything that would end up embarrassing you later on."

The look Shikamaru gave her fuelled her apprehension and she noticed how the people around them watched her in morbid fascination.

What did she just do?

Before Ino could worry about it further, Shikamaru quickly covered for her. "She's practicing for her skit in a commercial. Now run along and mind your own business." He didn't wait to hear what any of them had to say, but proceeded to drag Ino away from the place.

The sudden grip Shikamaru had on Ino's petite wrist melted away her anxiousness. Her friend… Shikamaru… he came to help her.

"I know how you feel about him, so there's no need for you to feel guilty," came Shikamaru's comforting words. He must've seen her expression.

Ino didn't need comforting. Not from the person who should've already lost trust in her the moment she ran away from him after breaking their engagement. She abandoned him after she first embarrassed him by telling him he wasn't worthy of her. And it was all because Ino was too proud to admit that she liked somebody else, and that she couldn't keep her promise.

And yet, he never showed any ill will towards her―ever. Sure, he was a bit bitter towards her at first, but those negative feelings eventually dissolved and before Ino knew it, she felt comfortable being around him once more. Not once did Shikamaru ask her for an apology or hold her weakness against her.

No, she didn't need to get comforted by this type of person. It only made her feel ugly about herself. The guilt had never left her after all this time.

"Shikamaru…" Ino abruptly stopped, making the said person pause in front of her. "I'm sorry."

I'm so sorry.

She cried for the first time in front of him. It was the only thing she could do.

* * *

Sai agreed to the skipping. Who was he kidding? He was the one who suggested it, only to make a statement that they were an official couple to the rest of their school community.

They were supposed to be going on a date, but this wasn't anything like a normal date. Not that he had anything planned, but the one who took control was Sakura. Well, maybe that was going overboard. Sakura only asked that they go to a place of her choice in which Sai had no problem with.

"Here we are," Sakura said, stopping in the midst of a clearing in an unfamiliar park Sai did not know of. "What's with that look?" she asked, reading him completely regardless of him keeping his expression blank.

Despite being ignored, Sakura didn't take it personally and went on, "This is the place where Tsubasa and I used to go to back when we were still on good terms."

The time before Sakura found out about Tsubasa's illness.

"It doesn't look very pleasant," Sai observed, his critical gaze darting around the place.

Sakura chuckled, "Well, the highlight of this place is during spring when the cherry blossoms bloom. Too bad we're a little too late for that, huh?"

Sai didn't say anything, making the atmosphere around them a little awkward.

Sakura didn't mind. The air around them was much calmer than when they were still in middle school.

"I didn't come here with you to talk about Tsubasa," Sai finally said, rejecting her casual statement.

That may have been a little too bold on his part. "I know, but Tsubasa's the reason why we got closer, isn't it?"

"That may be so, but she doesn't have anything to do with us now."

For a moment, Sakura detected Sai's dispassionate tone in regard to Tsubasa. Did that mean what Sakura thought it did? Was Sai going to wash his hands off of Tsubasa? "But didn't you use her as a reason to get back at me?"

Sakura heard about that, did she? "Aren't we past that already? I told you that I changed my mind after I realized―"

"―that you want me back," Sakura finished with a smile. "Tell me Sai, why did you suddenly get interested in me? It can't be because―because I didn't like you anymore."

Sai wasn't pleased. "How arrogant; I never thought that you would be so conceited."

Just as expected; Sakura knew Sai would say something like that. "But it's the only explanation. You were the one who wanted me out of your life, but after I've finally moved on, you come back to my life wanting the attention I used to give you. That's it, isn't it Sai?"

It was like the saying, "You never know what you've missed until you've lost it."

However, not everything was so easy to gain back.

"You might say that, but what about you. From what I've heard, you and Uchiha Sasuke used to be childhood friends and were engaged because of it. Don't be so high and mighty when you're doing the same thing."

"You're right," Sakura nodded humbly. "But it still isn't the same thing."

"Really? How so?"

"Do you love me Sai?"

The blunt question made Sai think twice about his answer, one he wasn't able to give.

"Of course you don't," Sakura answered for him. "Because all you feel for me is regret."

Oh, so that was what she wanted to come here for. She wanted to tell him this. "Regret, is it?"

"You may think that what could've been before could still be obtained now, but I don't think that so. If this happened two years ago, I wouldn't have thought twice about it, but…"

It was already too late.

"I love Sasuke," Sakura declared, looking at him straight in the eye.

"Even after all he's done to you, you're still blindly clinging to him. You're a fool."

Yes, she was a fool. She was foolishly in love, but it also made the situation with Sai clearer. "You know, if only you asked me out back then, I would've jumped at the opportunity without another thought. But now all I can think about is Sasuke. After meeting him again, I eventually fell in love with him." It was painful for her to say, but she had to be true to herself. This was what she felt.

He wanted to tell her how stupid she was being, but her next statement rendered him speechless.

"Our time is already over."

How ironic was it that Sakura would be the one rejecting him?

The little girl who admired Arisugaki Sai was gone. He wasn't going to hear that ecstatic way she would say his name anymore.

It was nothing now, but a memory of the past.

"Since you put it that way, I have no choice but to leave you alone." But Sai wasn't simply going to back down that easily. "But I have one condition: kiss me."

Sakura immediately reddened at the blatant request, "Eh!"

"You interrupted me when I tried to kiss you, and slapped me before I could do so. Now, I want to finish what I've started."

It was simple, yes. But it wasn't something Sakura could effortlessly give. A kiss wasn't something Sakura would casually do with anybody.

"Are you going to say 'no'?" Sai was actually amused by her inner struggle.

With her pride getting in the way, Sakura stubbornly shook her head. She knew he wasn't going to wait forever, and if she wanted him to finally back off, this was what she had to do.

How embarrassing!

Sakura was right that Sai wasn't going to wait forever for her to make her move. Boldly taking the lead, he wrapped an arm around her waist and pulled her closer.

Easily becoming frantic with Sai's assertiveness, Sakura tried to figure out how she should respond when he assured her with a whisper, "Relax, it'll be over before you know it."

She looked up only to curse herself from falling into his trap, and she was right. However, Sai was able to catch her off guard once more when he planted a chaste kiss on her forehead.

The smile he gave her afterwards made her conscious of her own selfishness.

This scene could have been different, with Sakura receiving a kiss out of loving adoration.

Closing her eyes, Sakura waited until he kissed her once more.

After daydreaming so many times about it when she was younger, Sakura could hardly believe that it was finally happening.

Who could've thought that saying goodbye would feel so bittersweet?

_Goodbye, my first love._

This time, Sakura received the kiss in passionate surrender, and to her surprise, the kiss was nothing like the one in her dreams.

It was unlike anything she'd ever imagined.

_**TBC**_

* * *

**A/N: **I lied. I said that Sasuke's part would be here, but I never thought that the Sabakus point of view would take up so many pages. The next part will talk about the Uchihas and finally, Sasuke's thoughts as well. At long last.

And see readers, I listen. Since someone wanted to see Karin's point of view, I've shown it and I hope it pleases you so. Well, some of you. I know most of you don't care, but that scene is necessary for something else that will be shown in the next few chapters.

Lastly, if people are wondering about the long flashback that was exclusive between Sasuke and Gaara (Chapter 15), it's to show the difference in my writing style then and now. Because of my bad planning, expect the story to have one or two chapters more than planned.

Since there's a preview, no update for another year! I'm just kidding!

* * *

**Chapter 30―Fiancée (Part 2)**

"Why aren't we targeting Sakura?" Aki asked.

"Yeah, shouldn't we be going after her instead of that new transfer student," Aya chorused in agreement.

Ami shook her head and replied intensely, "No, we go after Akashi Karin."

There was no way Ami was going to let that pass by, not after hearing Sasuke making a vow to the girl about staying with her no matter what.

Ami was going to show that girl not to be so conceited.

* * *

**Updated: **May 1, 2011


	30. Fiancée Part 2

**Engagement On Hold**

**Summary:** (AU) Uchiha Sasuke is Konoha High's reigning prince. Haruno Sakura is…? Who is she again? What happens when the guy everybody knows finds himself engaged to the girl nobody knows?

**Genre:** Romance/Humor/Drama

**Pairings:** Sasuke/Sakura, Naruto/Hinata, Shikamaru/Temari

**Author:** pei-chan

**Disclaimer:** Wouldn't it be nice if Sasuke and Sakura were really engaged in the Naruto series? Then again, that would only occur in our dreams… ne?

**A/N: ** I'll be brief. This is supposed to be the climax of the story, but it ended up being a pain in the ass to write. It has many transitions, but that wasn't the hard thing to write. The scenes with the Uchihas were. Don't ask me, I just kept scraping all my ideas because there was a distinctive feeling that nothing is ever good. No matter what I write I just can't help but feel that way. In short, I'm thinking that I'm becoming a bit repetitive or rather too repetitive. I sincerely hope that isn't the case.

I hope you guys enjoy this long chapter after the long wait.

* * *

**Chapter 30―Fiancée (Part 2)**

Photographs and detailed logs filled the file Itachi had given Sasuke the night before. It was even organized so that all he had to do was read through it. Everything was there: the time when Sakura's father died, her moving to her mother's house, and her connections with Yamanaka Ino and Arisugaki Sai.

There were even dates listed: when Haruno Sora died from an accident that soon led to Sakura moving to her mother's house and a new extended family―the Sabakus; when Sakura met Yamanaka Ino and became close friends with her; and her encounter with Arisugaki Sai that soon became her love interest. There were even pictures to prove her association with each individual, but the ones Sasuke found the most distasteful were the ones Sakura had with Sai.

However, there was one individual that he didn't find familiar. The picture and name didn't register to him, but he saw tons of information about the girl Sukishiro Tsubasa. After going through this girl's history with his ex-fiancée, Sasuke knew the great significance in their relationship.

This girl was the reason for Sakura's complete change of behavior throughout the years Sasuke hadn't seen her. Sakura changed her look as an act of repentance, and she lost her memory because of a car accident during the time she had a fight with the girl Tsubasa. It was the same as controlling Sakura's life, and it was just like his stupid ex-fiancée to let herself be manipulated in that way.

Stupid woman.

Though it was clearly stated in the documents Sasuke held that Sakura wasn't the one who caused the incident that created the great rift between the two girls, he could understand why his ex-fiancée felt responsible. Not that it mattered to him. He couldn't care less about all of those other people.

He was already enlightened by the one fact that only made him sick to his stomach: Sakura never thought about him. Not once, did she bother to write him any letter after she moved out of her father's house. Sakura had moved on with her life, while he spent the remainder of his clinging onto their past. The memories of their time together were something that was totally insignificant to her.

It was his turn now to let the past go as well. It was time for him to move on with the person who had stuck by his side all this time.

Karin.

It wasn't wrong for him to choose her.

* * *

That was how Temari had walked in on them. She was just walking towards her classroom when she noticed Shikamaru's familiar figure from her peripheral vision outside the window in the school grounds. However, as she was about to greet him, she noticed the presence of a female companion. She stopped when she felt an odd atmosphere around them. She debated whether or not to leave them alone, unwilling to intrude on their privacy, but before she could do so, she witnessed a caring gesture from Shikamaru. She couldn't look away because of it.

Shikamaru patted Ino's head caringly, making the girl flinch in self-disgust.

"Forget about it," Shikamaru said. "I know why you did it. I've been over it for a long time now, so there's no need for you to keep torturing yourself about it."

Ino peered up at him hopefully.

"Maybe if I'd been more serious about our engagement, you wouldn't have left," he joked. "Though after much thinking, I realized that you've done me a favor."

"What's that?" Ino asked; curiosity alive in her eyes.

"You showed me what it was like to love someone… if you can call it that."

Temari took that as her cue to leave, which this time, she was happy to do. There was no need to eavesdrop any longer. With her chest aching weirdly for the first time, Temari walked away before she ended up doing something she would regret later on.

_Love, huh?_

* * *

"Stupid coward," Naruto gritted in exasperation. "He's skipping school just so he doesn't have to deal with the problem he caused."

"Hey, if I was in his situation, I would do that same," Kiba countered. He wasn't trying to defend the Uchiha, but that kind of attention was something Kiba would want to avoid if necessary.

Hinata followed with a concerned remark, "But I'm worried about Sakura-chan as well. She didn't come to school today."

"Sasuke deserves a good kick in the ass to wake him up," Naruto urged, punching the other palm of his hand for good measure. "When I see that bastard, I won't hold back."

"Are you sure that's going to help? Considering how thick headed you both are, I don't think what you do will matter much," Kiba taunted with a scoff.

Hinata could do little to pacify the situation. With homeroom delayed because of the inevitable arrival of the media a bit earlier, they were left to wait inside their classrooms with nothing to do. Judging from Naruto and Kiba's personalities, they neither cared about being deprived of their education, nor how loud and chaotic the class was becoming: because the reality was, they were the cause of most of the noise in the room.

Hoping that he would listen to her, Hinata decided to push her luck by initiating physical contact with him. She touched Naruto's arm, and he immediately ceased arguing with Kiba and peered at her questioningly.

"Since Sakura-chan isn't here, I want to go visit her after school… to see if she's okay," Hinata requested, flushing lightly.

Kiba could see the quick change in Naruto's reaction, giving Hinata a smile of approval. "Yeah, let's do that," the blonde replied.

It was easy to see that he was now out of place. Trying not to look so awkward, Kiba left the classroom and loitered at the corridor outside the classroom. He leaned against the window and drifted into his own thoughts.

Those two might not have exclusively gone out, but it was clear to Kiba how much their feelings for each other had grown. It was just like they were already going out. With them acting like that, there was no way Kiba could intrude upon them. It'd only make him look stupid.

Darn it; this sucked.

Having no one to talk to was a total bore.

Where was Sakura anyway?

* * *

Despite the shady advice she received from her rival's mother, Karin tried to be optimistic that everything would eventually go her way. However, her optimism failed to get her through the beginning of the school day when she was ambushed by her schoolmates. Thankfully, she was able to get out of the mob before the paparazzi came to join in.

Now, she was stuck inside the school, trying to hide from everyone who wanted to invade her privacy. She could trust no one. The only person who had earned it unexpectedly had suddenly gone AWOL.

Was this the price for her going for what she wanted?

Taking a peek at her phone, Karin sighed when she merely saw an empty background with no missed calls or text messages.

Why didn't Sasuke come today? Why wasn't he here for her at a time when she needed him the most?

Sasuke…

_Where are you?_

* * *

As he sat on his bed thinking about what he had learned after reading the file that Itachi had given him, he slammed his fists on his thighs in frustration.

Even after reassuring himself that Karin was the right choice, his thoughts kept flashing back towards the moments he had with Sakura.

He remembered seeing her in her mother's mansion the day their engagement was announced. They argued and ended up making a silly bet on who would find who first at school the next day. He didn't know who she was then and ended up playing along with her game that he effortlessly won. Well, he had Naruto's help by triggering the alarm early, but not that it mattered much.

His interest in her increased every time they interacted―mostly because of her great displeasure in seeing him and the arguments they had that she would usually lose against. Every time he would mess with her, she would react in the most intriguing way that he couldn't stop himself from going back and teasing her some more.

And then there was the time when she came to the school festival in a stylish modern kimono―that was when their relationship swerved in a direction where there was no going back. The memory of when he first laid eyes on her elegant figure, where her gaze was seemingly transfixed on a distant point on the horizon, was when he began to remember the childhood friend that he treasured. The resemblance was uncanny. Would Sakura look like this now? His Sakura―the little girl he cherished who adored him as a child; where was she now? How would he speak to her after not seeing her for many years? As those questions popped into his head without a clear answer, he tried to imagine what he would do instead if he saw her once more. As he greeted her casually and she turned around to meet his gaze, he couldn't understand the horrified look she gave him before she fell into the water below. It was later that he understood why she was wary with him.

It was when she lost her glasses when she was rushing to get to school and bumped into him in the process did the puzzling pieces start to gather. The sight of her unmasked features gave him the time to inspect her more carefully. Why did she always bring back the memories of his childhood friend? Why did he have the urge to see his childhood friend when he saw his fiancée without her spectacles? He took his time and reflected on the beauty she tried to hide: 'W_ould Sakura look like this as well?'_ As those thoughts overwhelmed his mind, his body reacted on its own and before he knew it, he kissed her on the cheek―a greeting only they used to share.

Despite everything he had done, she never found out or realized what he had done. It was only later that he realized the girl from the festival and his fiancée were the same individual. That time also triggered the beginning of his suspicions.

The arrival of Arisugaki Sai that day only made matters worse. The fixed attention he gave Sakura only made Sasuke wary of his intentions. From afar, he continued to watch over her and he planned to not interfere with how she conducted her life in any way, but when the new student started insulting her and drawing from her a reaction that only _he_ used to do, whenever he teased her, he snapped. Immediately, he put a stop to their socializing and punched the guy without even realizing that she had originally planned to do the same until his untimely intervention.

He couldn't be gladder at his initiative. However, his suspicions with her identity didn't arise any further until the weekend he saw her in casual clothes.

She wasn't wearing any glasses at the time, and seeing her firsthand without them gave him a clear idea that it was her. He didn't bother feigning ignorance of her identity like his best friend and merely dragged her away, leaving his best friend stunned at his unexpected assertiveness towards the opposite gender. The sight of her forlorn expression made him see beyond reason and he pulled her away without a second thought. Their conversation didn't bode so well, since his suspicions tainted his good nature and he pressured her with questions she wasn't ready to answer. All he could think of at that time was: why was she pretending not to know him at all?

They didn't talk again until their parents arranged a dinner together that also marked the anniversary of the death of his fiancée's father―whom he would later realize was Haruno Sora. They were forced into marriage counseling, coerced into kissing each other and was later manipulated to sleep in the same room. In Sasuke's opinion, the whole enchilada was a complete waste of time, except for the misunderstanding that was cleared up and a new unspoken truce that came with it. They didn't hate each other, which oddly brought great relief to him.

After that, they went back to normal and treated each other the same as they used to. However, as soon as they started going out together, that familiarity gradually changed.

He continued to feign ignorance of her identity for the sake of quenching his desire for his childhood friend. He figured that since his fiancée reminded him of _her_… then maybe, she could also help him forget about her. It wasn't until he decided to gain more depth in their relationship and finally eliminate the invisible wall between them by asking her name did everything get thrown into chaos. When they unanimously agreed on her name being, _Sakura_, Sasuke immediately knew right there and then who she was. How could he not have noticed it? They had the same name―Haruno Sakura was his long lost childhood friend. So why did she continue to remain ignorant of his existence? Did she forget about him? The endless questions turned into frustration and he finally decided to make sense of it all by investigating on his own. When that led him nowhere, he agreed with Yamanaka Ino's plan to force Sakura to reveal her own secrets herself.

Their plan soon feel apart when Yamanaka got cold feet and told him how important her best friend was to her and abandoned him to his own devices. In the end, the unanswered questions got to his nerves that he ended up taking it out on his ex-fiancée by hurting her continuously.

Now that everything was clear, he couldn't help but feel guilty even though he thought there was no need to be.

Damn his older brother to hell!

No, Sasuke also needed to blame himself. He shouldn't have accepted his brother's proposal no matter how harmless it seemed to be. Even though he ended up realizing that it was inevitable.

He was already swayed―and convinced.

No matter how hurt he might have been, it was clear that he had judged Sakura prematurely, and had been a complete asshole about it.

Still, he already made his choice and he would stick by it.

He was so lost in his own reminiscing that Sasuke didn't hear the constant knocking on his door until his mother called his name.

"Sasuke…" It was faint and muffled by the door closed between them.

How could he have forgotten about them? His parents were also to blame for this. Why didn't they tell him about Sakura from the very beginning? There was no way they didn't know about Itachi's continuous investigation of the little girl that became a part of their family all those years ago.

There was no way he was answering that door.

Screw it! _Leave me alone!_

* * *

Mikoto didn't know how long she had been standing in front of her son's door, asking to be let in.

Ever since yesterday's party, Mikoto and Fugaku had yet to have a talk with their son. Fugaku had already warned her that it would be pointless to reason with their stubborn son and to just leave him alone.

"_He wouldn't want to talk to us anyway,"_ was his notice to her.

Going against his advice, she went anyway. Mikoto sighed. She knew that this would happen, but she couldn't bring herself to turn away when her son was still within their reach. As his mother, there was no way Mikoto could back down when her son clearly needed her.

"Sasuke, open the door this instant." When there was still no answer, Mikoto tried to be a little creative. "If you want, I can call Itachi here to―"

A clicking sound came from the door. The lock was released, giving Mikoto the freedom to come in if she wished. She opened the door, and there was Sasuke, sulking on his bed. He wasn't wearing his pajamas but casual clothing. Well, his casual clothes were lacking since he was only wearing a pair of jeans.

It was like he was debating earlier whether he should go to school or not but ended up lazing around his bed instead.

"Shouldn't you be in school?" Mikoto carefully asked.

"I didn't feel like going," Sasuke responded curtly, not caring how he might have offended his mother. At this point, he had no particular concern what his parents thought of him.

Scolding someone who wouldn't be listening was pointless. Mikoto knew this, and showed him how concerned she was about his welfare. "You shouldn't talk like that when your father might overhear."

"So what? It's not like that matters to me."

Mikoto sighed. Sasuke might be able to say that to her, but it was debatable whether he could put up the same defiant persona in front of his father. "You're mad about Sakura, I know. You hate us for not telling you, but that's because Itachi didn't want us to. He wanted us to deal with your engagement just like how we would, pretending it was our decision to begin with."

"And you just said 'yes'? Just because he became the head of the clan for some time, you're following whatever he says?" Sasuke gave a spiteful scoff. "What about what _I_ felt?"

"You were still a boy at that time, Sasuke. You wouldn't have understood."

"And you're saying that it should make sense to me _now?_ Explain it to me, mother―because I still can't comprehend why you both agreed to it so easily. I can understand it if father was the one who planned it, but Itachi…" Sasuke trailed off, frustrated by his parents' betrayal.

This time, Mikoto was able to give him a more direct answer. "Your older brother loves you more than anything in the world. You were the reason why he gave up being the head of the clan."

Itachi gave it up for him? That sounded too good to be true. "Itachi gave it up because he was incompetent."

Mikoto smiled softly at her son's insulting remark. "Before he gave up his responsibilities, however, he talked to your father and me about arranging an engagement with your childhood friend, Sakura-chan. We wondered why, when the two of you haven't seen each other for so long, but he only told us that she was perfect."

Perfect? How could Sakura be the perfect fiancée for him?

"But I think you know the reason for that, don't you?" Mikoto asked perceptively.

"That doesn't make any sense." He didn't sound as aggravated as before, but confused about not being given the clear picture. First, they dictate his life, telling him that he was engaged to someone he barely knew that he would later find out that he knew that person all along, way back when he was still a boy. Now, with the instigator of his unexpected engagement revealed, he was being told that he had a choice.

Though, Sasuke felt it otherwise.

When did he even have a choice?

Sasuke flinched when he felt his mother's hand cuddling his cheek adoringly. Yet he said nothing, but he made no motion to push her hand away.

Even though he wasn't looking at her direction, Mikoto knew he would be listening. "I know it's hard to take it, but your brother really does love you. He wouldn't do anything that you can't handle.

"The same thing applies to your father. He might not show it, but he cares a lot about your well being. He won't stop asking about you whenever we're together… even more than your brother."

Sasuke's tough persona softened, yet he still had some concerns. "What about you?"

"Well," Mikoto paused, flattered that her son was concerned about what she thought. "I should be reprimanding you and telling you to stop behaving like a child, but your father's already capable of doing that."

Hearing about the condition her two sons made, Mikoto was aware about her youngest son's dilemma. She was already aware of what choice the whole family wanted, but regardless of it all and how crucial it could influence their family, Mikoto refused to pressure her child.

They had pressured their children enough.

"Sasuke, don't stress yourself over what you should do. Whatever choice you make, as long as it's what you really want, I will support it no matter what."

Her supportive statement was one Sasuke did not expect in the least. He only felt awkward when she lightly patted his cheek with a playful smile, and eventually enveloped him in a motherly hug he hadn't experienced in a long time. In turn, the awkwardness melted away and he could only feel the warmth of being in his mother's arms.

The warmth her gentleness brought inside Sasuke eased his worries. It had been so long that he never would've expected it would still have the same effect on him. However, he wasn't at ease for long, when his mother's next statement struck him.

"As long as you're happy, nothing else matters."

* * *

Itachi had been looking outside the window when Mikoto came into the room. Because of the hardheadedness of her husband, it was now Mikoto's job to find out how her sons were doing, which she barely minded. Having these personal conversations with her boys was one of her strong suits.

"How was your talk with Sasuke, mother?" he spoke, before she could close the door.

Leave it to her oldest son to remain as sharp as ever. "I did the best I could. Though I'm worried about what he's going to do from here," Mikoto replied, closing the door to ensure their privacy.

"Are you worried that he's going to choose Karin?" Itachi turned to her, seeing through her worries as if he was reading an open book.

"Isn't the main reason why you asked your father and I to get your brother and Sakura engaged was to eventually get them married?"

"Actually, they need not do that at all. Right now, it doesn't matter who Sasuke chooses."

Mikoto frowned, "What are you talking about?"

"The main reason of the engagement is to serve as a bridge."

"A bridge?" Mikoto repeated questioningly.

"Haruno Sakura was the main reason Sasuke continues to behave like a child, and since she's the inhibitor of Sasuke's development, only she can act as the cure for it."

Mikoto couldn't believe how merciless her son was in treating the girl who used to call him older brother. "How could you do that to the girl you used to consider as part of the family?"

Itachi smiled ironically, understanding his mother's distress. He could give no explanation, but only reassurance, "But this is the only way I can protect her."

Mikoto only became more confused with her son's simple reasoning.

"It's much better that Sasuke hurts her now, rather than later. If he does choose Sakura now, she'll have to go through the pain of losing him again. Or if Sakura gives up now, we can be sure that she won't be able to get through what will happen later."

Mikoto couldn't deny it.

"If by any chance they agree to be together now, how do you think Sakura would react if she finds out that by the end of high school, Sasuke will have to leave the country to be the successor of the Uchiha clan?"

"Just like you did when you turned eighteen," Mikoto added painfully, vividly recalling the time her oldest son left Japan. It was what changed him completely.

"He will have to leave her behind again for who knows how long. It'll all depend on Sasuke."

* * *

The day quickly passed like a cool breeze on a warm spring day. It was the start of Naruto's favorite subject, the lunch period.

Every sophomore was at their usual spots and groups. That included Ami's exclusive group, the A3. They were sitting by the door, trying not to look so conspicuous that they were planning something horrendous. Their main problem, Akashi Karin, was currently not present in the room, to Ami's disgruntlement.

The less she saw of the obnoxious bitch, the better. The sight of her might make Ami snap at the wrong moment.

"Why aren't we targeting Sakura?" Aki asked.

"Yeah, shouldn't we be going after her instead of that new transfer student," Aya chorused in agreement.

Ami shook her head and replied intensely, "No, we go after Akashi Karin."

There was no way Ami was going to let that pass by, not after hearing Sasuke making a vow to the girl about staying with her no matter what.

_It was one of Ami's typical sporadic visits to her crush, Uchiha Sasuke. Usually she would try and visit him during the start of the day, but this time, it was more convenient for her to come by his classroom after school._

_Unfortunately for her, she came in at the wrong time and witnessed a private matter between him and the new transfer student, Akashi Karin._

_She was able to hide before the two had noticed and leaned on the wall beside the doorway, eavesdropping on their conversation. She only heard small and unclear statements made by the transfer student that made her assume that she was going to hear firsthand what it was like for Sasuke to reject someone. What she didn't expect was for her idol to blurt out such a declaration._

"_I will never leave you no matter what."_

It was clear to Ami what Karin's role was in Sasuke's life, so it wasn't hard to guess how serious he was when he made that announcement. It made her boil with rage. Ami was going to show that girl not to be so conceited.

However, no matter how well planned anything was, there was always a chance of failure. Depending on luck and many other variables, the rate of success could change exponentially with each situation.

But who had the luck in this given situation? The predator? Or the prey?

* * *

Pausing by the cafeteria doorway at what she heard, her blank expression tightened distastefully. Fortunately, her companion was able to remind her, "Remember what we came here for." He walked out of the cafeteria, expecting her to follow him.

And follow him she should. She didn't forget their main goal for coming by the lunch room during the second years' break. The school year was almost ending and with their exams just around the corner, their college applications had already been sent.

However, just because they were sure what college they were going to didn't mean their career path was any clearer. That was the reason why the two of them came, to ask their sensei for other requirements they needed.

Well, her friend only came to remind his sensei for a recommendation he would need by the end of the day. Even though her visit wasn't as beneficial firsthand, at least she was able to find out that she just needed to get her own recommendation elsewhere.

Though, straying from the issue about their future, she focused at the current situation at hand.

Not complying with his request for long, she asked her friend to stop. If he became irritated and thought her dawdling, he didn't show it. "We can't just walk away after hearing that."

"What do you want me to do? Be her knight in shining armor?" he shot back sarcastically.

Tenten couldn't blame Neji's cynicism. He was right that it was none of their business, and trying to help a person they barely even knew was a burden they didn't need to carry. "No, but we should at least tell someone who _can _help."

Neji didn't protest any further. Maybe he didn't need to help personally, but as a third party, there was something else he could do.

* * *

"You're Karin-san, right?"

Karin didn't want to turn around, wary of everyone and anyone due to her sudden increase in popularity. She planned to just walk away, but the stranger remained persistent.

"You're the one Sasuke-kun wants to marry, right?"

Becoming alert and conscious at who her stalker might be, Karin looked around and to her relief there wasn't anyone other than a single girl, who smiled slyly at her reaction.

"Oh, so I was right! You _are_ Sasuke-kun's sweetheart!"

Karin could only register the condescending tone she heard associated with the statement.

The girl giggled, making Karin more uneasy around her company.

"Don't look so anxious. I just want to talk to you." If that wasn't enough, she added a threat, "It would be such a shame if the information Sasuke-kun tried to keep ends up becoming public knowledge. It'll be so sad if all his hard work ends up a waste after just _one _day."

There was no way Karin could resist, but still, she wasn't stupid. "Why should I go with you when I know exactly what you're planning to do?"

The girl wasn't impressed by Karin's stubbornness. "That's where you're wrong, you conceited fool. I was just pointing out an observation and you're the one who's taking it negatively."

Then how was she supposed to take it?

"I'm just saying that if you want me to talk to you about some private things that I could only talk to with Sasuke's fiancée, then you'll be fine with your secret being officially confirmed by the student body. You know that when that happens, nothing can stop them from talking about it online.

"Hiding won't be much use to you anymore then because once they find out; your freedom will be ripped apart from you in a matter of seconds."

Such was the power of the internet.

Karin couldn't deny that this girl was making a valid point that she couldn't just ignore. Yet, she still couldn't trust her. "Who are you anyway?"

"My name is Watanabe Ami, one of the most influential students in this school."

The way she carried herself did speak of arrogance, and it only made Karin more uncomfortable around her. "Why should I trust you when I know you're jealous that I'm Sasuke's fiancée?"

"Jealous? Honey, you must be hallucinating if you came to that conclusion," Ami laughed outwardly, but inside she was seething. How dare this stupid redheaded bitch think she was so much better than _her―_Watanabe Ami! It was an unpleasant thought.

Karin looked confused. "Then…"

"Like, come on, just because you're _currently_ Sasuke's fiancée doesn't mean that you'll end up marrying him. Wasn't Haruno Sakura his fiancée before? I know he chose you and all, but his family doesn't even approve―"

Karin focused on ignoring Ami's senseless babble. There was no way she was listening to this; however, there was no way Karin could ignore the girl completely.

"Pretty soon, he'll get tired of you and pick another person as his new fiancée. Everyone's just waiting for it to happen―"

Ami's mouth was forcibly shut by a hard smack on her cheekbone. There was no pain, only shock from realizing that she had just experienced a physical assault from a no-account lowlife. This _nobody_ didn't just raise a hand to _her, _did she1? It was absolutely _unforgivable!_

"Shut up. I've had enough of your yapping." Karin wasn't able to control her strong emotions and did what she initially tried to avoid. Apparently, the subject was too personal for her, and any small criticism brought out the worst in her personality.

While one showed her great dislike of being mocked by retreating into her shell, the other thought of how to get even.

There was no way Ami was going to let this Karin girl get the last laugh. One way or another, she _would_ make her pay. She was going to show this bitch not to mess with her.

* * *

After protecting his childhood friend from a huge scandal earlier that day, Shikamaru took it upon himself to act as her guardian for the rest of the day. Thankfully, his over protectiveness wasn't brought up as a teasing subject by his friends.

It was good to know that they had a tiny bit of consideration in those puny little heads of theirs.

Just like any job, he was relieved from his responsibilities when the school ended. Ino reassured him that she was alright and left for work, offhandedly reminding him of his other commitments.

There had been too much going on that he had almost forgotten his session with Temari. He rushed back into the school towards the meeting area.

He was late and she would surely kill him!

He arrived at his destination with the woman he was meeting lounging casually by the window. She turned around when she heard him come.

"I thought you weren't going to show."

"I told you I was. There's no reason for you to be so pessimistic."

"What about your friend, Yamanaka Ino?"

She just had to ask him about _that,_ didn't she? "What about her?"

"You could've cancelled our session if you need to be by her side."

Judging from that, a new rumor had already circulated around the school and Temari was already well informed of it. It was still unclear to Shikamaru how _much_ she really knew, but not wanting to hear any false assumptions, he immediately clarified, "Ino's a childhood friend. There was a time when we were really close, but not anymore. Still, I try to look out for her.

"In a way, my relationship with her in the past was the same as your sister's and Sasuke." He wasn't sure if that was the right description. "Kinda like that."

"I see," Temari nodded imperturbably and dropped the subject. "Well then, shall we get started?"

Wait? That was it?

"We don't have all day you know," Temari reminded him.

Where were all the anger and the yelling? Shikamaru knew that Temari wasn't like other women, but the topic about Ino _really _didn't affect her―at all?

* * *

It was now or never. After going through these doors, there would be no going back. There would be no more self-pity about making the wrong choice. The moment he spoke about it would be the same as setting down his fate in stone.

Was he confident with what he was doing? He didn't know, but there was only one way to find out.

The door opened and Sasuke was greeted by an expectant Itachi, who didn't waste any time and went straight towards the issue at hand.

"So… tell me, have you decided?"

Sasuke didn't hesitate as he replied, "I have."

Shifting his tone into something more appropriate for polite conversation, Itachi inquired neutrally: "Who shall it be, then?" A beat of silence thrummed between the brothers, while Itachi placidly waited for Sasuke's reply.

* * *

At the same time the Uchiha siblings were having their ultimatum showdown, another couple was on their way out of the school premises. Only about a quarter of the spots in the parking lot were filled, as the said couple was walking towards Naruto's car. "I'm glad your cousin didn't murder me when I told him that I was giving you a ride home," Naruto remarked, the relief that this was so, evident in his voice.

"Eh? I thought you guys were friendlier these days," Hinata wondered. After all, Neji-niisan was Naruto-kun's tutor, meaning that they would be seeing each other more often. They should be at least more pleasant around one another, but that could just be wishful thinking on Hinata's part. It had been a while since she had seen her cousin and Naruto interact.

Naruto was reluctant to tell her about how harsh Neji was whenever Naruto would ask him a question. He decided not to humiliate himself any further by asking his tutor, only to be in an awkward position when Neji would find out about his low test scores. Thus, Neji would be even harsher when dealing with him in order to try and bump up his scores.

When his methods didn't work and he was shown another red mark, Neji decided to threaten Naruto instead. "If I don't graduate this year with honors and a good recommendation from this school, I'll make sure you won't ever get near my cousin again. I don't care if your parents own this school; the Hyuuga clan has enough influence to ruin your reputation with the colleges around the city. I'll make sure you have to go into another country to get a good education. Dating her will forever be a dream for you―understand?"

Naruto didn't argue, and from then on, he worked his ass off, trying to study the parts in the lecture that he didn't understand on his own.

Not wanting to go further on the taboo subject of Hinata's cousin, Naruto asked, "Hinata-chan, have you called Sakura-chan?"

Hinata shook her head, "It went to voicemail. Now, it makes me doubt if we should still go. She might want to be left alone."

"Sakura-chan would never turn you away. If it was you, she would welcome the visit."

Hinata still looked doubtful. "Do you think so?"

"I know so," Naruto grinned lopsidedly in a way that always made Hinata giggle.

They were about to get in Naruto's car when Kiba yelled after them. Turning to the familiar sound of their friend's voice was an understatement. Hearing it laced in fear and urgency could only mean that something dreadful must've occurred.

Kiba wasted no time in bringing the bad news. "Akashi Karin's been kidnapped."

Hinata paled considerably, while Naruto went still as a corpse. Despite their current state, Naruto was able to utter a question out of concern, "Who? How?"

"I didn't see their faces, but judging from the vehicle they drove away in, my guess would be Watanabe," he replied grimly.

_Watanabe Ami-san?_

Cursing at how horrible the situation had become, Naruto was already certain what the main cause of it was. "We have to tell Sasuke."

* * *

Sakura and Sai had parted ways shortly after their _date_. Now she was wandering aimlessly around the neighborhood with no specific destination in mind. She didn't want to go home, but she didn't know where else to go.

What was she supposed to do now? She had rejected the guy who had finally noticed her after all the years of her yearning for his attention and interest, only to choose her ex-fiancé who wanted nothing to do with her. Now that she thought it over, Sakura couldn't help but regret her decision. Rejecting Sai might have been the right thing o do, but she felt lonelier than before.

She was such a masochist. There was the promise of love right in front of her, and yet she chose the one that was way out of her reach.

The promise of love… it was only an illusion. Love wasn't a concept that could be understood easily. Here she was in love with Uchiha Sasuke that it was almost idiotic. Regardless of the signs that Sasuke didn't want her, she continued to hope.

Regardless of Sasuke already choosing Akashi Karin, why couldn't Sakura let him go?

There was nothing that could've shaken her decision not to care about anything else, but the familiar silhouettes of two significant acquaintances made her turn. There was Akashi Karin, walking inside an abandoned building with Ami and her crew.

There was only one question in Sakura's mind: what were they doing together?

She didn't stick out to find out why. Oddly enough, seeing Ami lurking in a suspicious place like this made her want to see Tsubasa.

Even if she didn't want to see her.

Disregarding the distance between them, it was easy for Sakura to notice them. Though noticing someone's presence was natural, sometimes behaviour was overlooked upon when nothing suspicious was happening. It was simple to overlook that Akashi Karin wasn't there of her own free will.

And that was exactly how Ami wanted it. Besides, it wasn't the first time she took her prey in a place like this. Ami was only this ruthless when they deserved it.

* * *

Coming to the hospital was one thing, but going in to meet Tsubasa was a whole entire dilemma. Tsubasa had already indirectly claimed to hate her, so seeing her would be out of the question. It was simple: Tsubasa didn't want to see her, but…

It would only be out of her own selfishness if she went in now. However, if not now, then when?

"What are you doing here?" The question was asked as abruptly as Tenten coming out of the building. The hospital uniform that she had was absent, but her Konoha High School uniform clung comfortably on her petite form.

It was her day off and she only came by to get a recommendation letter from her superior. The deadline for college applications were already done, but Tenten was hoping that she could still have a chance to change her major. She had been volunteering in the hospital for quite some time now, and it was only logical to pursue a career where her experience could be made useful.

Though, Tenten did not expect to have such an eventful visit to the hospital by meeting Tsubasa's friend and foe. How unfortunate.

"Tsubasa…" Sakura started hesitantly, "How is she?"

Oh, so _now_ she wanted to talk about Tsubasa. Not that it mattered. Any additional concern wouldn't miraculously cure Tsubasa's condition. In fact, Tenten had already witnessed the negative influence Sakura had with regarding Tsubasa's health.

"Why are you even here? You've heard it yourself, didn't you―Tsubasa doesn't want to see you."

"I know she doesn't want to see me, but…" the dejected expression Sakura showed brought out a little of the respect that Tenten had for her and she said nothing else.

Putting the blame on Sakura was unfair, not to mention uncalled for on her part. However, the girl's gullible and ignorant front was irritating her to no end. "Did you know that Tsubasa has barely a year left to live? She won't live through your graduation―" _Or mine_, Tenten wanted to add.

Numbness consumed her. She felt nothing but her own cold sweat dripping down her back.

"And here you are wasting your time deciding if you should see her or not. Your indecisiveness is really infuriating."

No one dared to mention how exhausting a guilty conscience could be, and here she was experiencing it firsthand. "No matter how repentant I may be, it's never enough but if I try to move on and forget about it, I remain a hypocrite. What is it I should do to be forgiven?"

There was a double meaning behind her statement that Tenten didn't see. "You want to be forgiven?" Tenten asked, testing Sakura's resolve. "Then take responsibility."

Who could have thought that Tenten's own self-righteousness would be a cause of an even greater disaster?

* * *

Their tutoring session went by smoothly and repetitively like usual. They talked about nothing else but formulas, equations and word problems correlated towards the final lectures of senior year calculus. Everything seemed to be just like normal, but the great distance between them was more evident than ever, like a wide chasm in between their feet. Temari would usually be more open with her occasional offhanded remarks that would show her displeasure about being taught by a younger man and not to mention the same age as her stepsister. However, currently no such familiarity existed between them. They were simply two schoolmates meeting after school because of the benefit of it. They weren't friends.

They weren't _anything_.

Temari's coming departure was brought into Shikamaru's thoughts. Maybe… it was better this way.

The professional atmosphere around them lasted until the end and it was only when both were getting ready to head on home did Shikamaru find out the reason for Temari's peculiar behavior. Right before Shikamaru could leave, Temari decided to finally engage him in a casual conversation.

"Hey Shikamaru, the test… do you think I'll do well?"

Was that why she was acting so strangely―because she was worried?

"You really do want that acceptance, don't you?"

Temari simply replied, "It's my dream."

"But why do you have to leave Japan to do it?" Shikamaru hesitated, "Why can't you just stay here? It would be easier to aim for the best that you envisioned." He didn't realize the selfishness of his request revealed his desire for her to stay.

Temari did not point this out, however, and stayed on topic. "I want to gain a different perspective. Besides, change is good."

It was _too_ big of a change.

Shikamaru knew that he should be a supportive friend and cheer her on, but he just couldn't do it. Yet, he admired her determination and courage in pursuing such an uncommon and difficult goal. Temari knew exactly what she wanted to do with her life, while he had no motivation or dreams of his own even when he soon had to make that decision with his final year coming up. It was to say… he was envious to see her so confident.

Despite his pessimism, he showed her none of his weakness. "Don't worry; if you review the ones I told you that would come up in the exam, you should be fine. You might even get a perfect score on it," he said, trying to keep as nonchalant as possible.

Temari nodded gratefully, but Shikamaru could sense that there was something else bothering her.

Regardless of what he had observed, Shikamaru continued to play ignorant. "This should be our last session, but if there's anything you're not confident about, then just call me and we can meet up."

She sent a thankful smile, but was still concerned on his behalf. "What about _your _exams? Don't you need to get ready for them as well?"

There was no need for her to get worried on his account. "Don't mind me. Just keep focusing on yourself. You can't afford to get distracted now."

"What if I call you just so we can hang out? I want to thank you for helping me out."

"You don't have to." Clearly, she was ignoring what he had been telling her. He didn't need her doing anything for him. From her, he needed nothing. Nothing at all.

"Then how about you go out with me?"

He was about to repeat himself for the third time when he got a clear sense of her statement.

Wait… what?

Like a date?

Did she just… ask him out? _Why? _He didn't even realize that he said that out loud, in which Temari replied to.

"Because I like you Nara."

* * *

The pregnant silence was broken by a sudden ring. Sasuke wanted to ignore the persistent call and let it go to voicemail, but when he saw the identity of the caller through his caller ID he hesitated.

Why would Hyuuga Neji be calling him at this time?

Seeing his brother's uneasy expression, Itachi helped him in casting away his hesitation by suggesting, "If you're so worried, it shouldn't hurt to answer it."

Sasuke didn't show that he acknowledge the remark, but answered the phone nonetheless. Dubiously greeting the other person in the line, Sasuke wondered what was so important for the Hyuuga to call him so unexpectedly. "What is it, Hyuuga?"

"_I don't know what your deal is for not being with your fiancée after just recently declaring to the world that you want to marry her, but that selfishness of yours is already giving her more problems she doesn't need."_

Sasuke didn't like the vagueness of that statement. "What the hell are you talking about?" Can't he just get to the point!

Meanwhile, Itachi continued to patiently observe his brother talking on the phone. When Sasuke had suddenly gotten pale and speechless, Itachi immediately knew that something was wrong. Itachi said nothing when his little brother ended the call and said that he was leaving.

Itachi immediately understood before Sasuke even said it and even beat him to it. "Let's continue this later then."

"Karin's been kidnapped," Sasuke explained even when Itachi didn't ask for it. "I'm sorry nii-san, but I have to save her."

"Because of your announcement, she now has become a target of your enemies."

Sasuke only became annoyed with the clear point. "I know that already! That's exactly why―"

"That's exactly what you have to face if you're going to succeed the clan. Everything you do, every choice you make, will be observed, criticized and challenged. Picking the best candidate as your wife is also a factor. She needs to be able to stand up beside you and be strong enough to face those challenges with you.

"You should have already been aware of this the moment you chose Karin as your fiancée. The moment you told everyone your decision, you should have been ready about this occurrence."

Defiantly, Sasuke challenged Itachi's logic with his own determination. "That's exactly why I'm going to save her. Since I was the one who brought this on her, it's my responsibility to make sure nothing happens to her." He said nothing else and ran out of the room to do what he proclaimed.

Moments later, Itachi turned to look out of the window, watching his brother's car zooming out of the property.

Sadly, it would seem that his plan wasn't working as well as he hoped.

"How if you aren't there in time to save her Sasuke? What will become of you then, I wonder?"

The fact that his little brother had finally called him 'nii-san' could only bring him mild comfort.

"You might succeed in protecting her today, but you can't protect her forever."

_If she can't protect herself, she would never survive the weight of the Uchiha clan. _

* * *

Bewildered at her odd confession, Shikamaru turned away, replying as objectively as possible. "Going out… only two people who hold romantic interest in one another can do that."

He gulped anxiously when Temari didn't reply. How could she remain calm in this situation?

"I've only ever looked at you as a friend. I never figured that you feel that way about me."

"I see," Temari said evenly despite the somberness of the situation. She acted like her confession minutes before didn't happen. "Thanks for all your help anyway, Shikamaru."

Why did he feel like he was just stabbed by a sharp knife just now?

Temari picked up her bag on the desk and exited the room, but not before bidding him goodbye.

Being left alone in the room to think about what had happened, Shikamaru tried to make sense of it all. The way she said his name just then when she thanked him…

It was like he was a stranger to her, but who could blame her.

He rejected her after all.

* * *

"Wake up, _skank_."

Karin waited to wake up from this nightmare. She would wake up soon somewhere far from here with Sasuke reprimanding her for dozing off. But the stabbing pain in her abdomen relentlessly persisted that she was stuck here to bear witness to her own upcoming demise. Will she be able to live through the living hell Watanabe Ami was going to put her through?

She remembered trying to flee from her captors, even though she knew it was futile. Ami was accompanied with dangerous men who only felt pleasure in seeing her scared and were excited by the dehumanizing task they were assigned to do. Clearly they had a plan for her, and how she prayed her deductions to be proven false.

Fear was what made her run in the first place, but they were prepared for her attempt and they knocked her out before she could even begin to struggle. She knew it was inevitable when she was already in the car with them, but when she realized their plans, she just had to try.

And now that they were waiting for her to regain consciousness, or rather, open her eyes since they already figured that she was awake, it would be foolish to pretend otherwise. Karin unwillingly opened her eyes out of fear of being physically abused if she didn't comply.

It had been a while since she was bullied like this, but it had been the first time she was brought into an abandoned warehouse. Judging from the rust of the left over equipment around the place, it had been a while since the place had been operational. What served as a light in the room was only the setting sun shining through the windows. However, its illumination served no purpose in lighting a way for her out of this situation.

"So… do you know why you're here?" Ami asked.

Karin didn't reply out of caution. She wouldn't give this lowlife an excuse to bully her just because she found her reply antagonizing. However, that plan was rendered useless and it only aggravated Ami further.

Ami slapped Karin as hard as she could, finding it pleasurable seeing the girl fall back down on the ground. "Stop looking at me like that bitch! That's exactly why you're here! If you only be a good girl; and do exactly what you're supposed to do."

Karin tried to ignore the stinging pain on her cheek. Do what exactly?

"I tried to be nice to you by being your friend, but you just had to throw that back in my face, didn't you," Ami chuckled maliciously. "Since pleasantries don't work on you, maybe this will."

No matter how many ways she imagined what was going to happen, Karin always ended up with the worst conclusion. Now her worst nightmare was going to become reality.

Gesturing her henchmen forward, Ami introduced her companions with a sick smile in her cruel features. "Maybe you'll reconsider being so arrogant after being acquainted with my friends."

Karin immediately started backing away when they started advancing towards her. With them blocking the exit, Karin panicked in what to do. She already tried getting away before and failed. She had to―she just had to find a way to get out of here! Sasuke wasn't here to protect her and―

"Hey, I hope you be gentle with them, okay?" was Ami's last taunt before Karin's mental state shattered.

No, no, no, no! This wasn't happening to her―it couldn't! All she wanted was to be by Sasuke's side. Why couldn't anyone understand that?

Was there something wrong with being with the person you love?

_Sasuke. Sasuke. Sasuke,_ Karin chanted mentally with the hope of him saving her keeping her sane.

There was no need for her to be scared. Sasuke… Sasuke would definitely come and save her. He promised her that he would always be there for her. That was why she would continue to believe in him. She had to!

Karin paled when they started reaching out for her.

_Sasuke!_

"Hold it," said an unexpected visitor.

All turned to the sound of a terse command that brought a chill down Karin's spine.

"You've become bold Ami."

* * *

Where was that girl? Skipping school was already unlike her, and he was willing to forgive her for keeping it a secret from him if only she didn't stay out so late. When he arrived home to find no sign of her around, he decided to go out and look for his sister.

Luckily his older brother got home before he was about to leave and suggested a location where she most likely would be.

"_You should try the hospital downtown. Since she's with _that_ guy, they would most likely go to that place," Kankuro helpfully suggested._

Gaara took his word for it, but didn't have the time to ask his brother how he knew about it. Such private matters that he wasn't privy to, made Gaara uneasy. There was more going on between his sister and that new transfer student, and no one was telling him anything. And why would they go to a hospital?

Reminding himself to inquire more about the matter when he had found his sister, he looked around the said location, but found no traces of the person he was seeking.

Should he go inside?

"Gaara," a feminine voice called out of concern.

"Tenten-senpai," Gaara greeted back respectfully. People might think he was scary and avoided him like a plague. Sometimes, others would pick a fight with him to prove they were better than him. Those reasons were exactly why he respected only a number of people, and this person was one of them.

She was a fellow classmate of his brother, Kankuro. They weren't exactly close friends, but Gaara knew his brother was on good terms with her. Add that to the simple notion that she didn't give him any reason to be wary of her.

"I assume you're here to look for Sakura."

Gaara immediately became suspicious. So, she knew something too, did she? "Has she come here?"

"Actually, she has, but she left not too long ago," Tenten replied. Gaara was about to ask in which direction that would be, but her confession beat him to it. "I'm sorry Gaara; I think I've done something terrible to your sister."

"What are you talking about?"

"Please save her," Tenten pleaded guiltily.

Gaara went rigid. "Tenten…" Gaara said, leaving out the honorific on purpose because of what he had heard, "what have you done?"

Tenten didn't explain herself, knowing he would hate her no matter what excuse she would give. She could only repeat her plea in anguish, "Save her… before it's too late."

He asked nothing of her reasons but quickly demanded where his sister went. She didn't flinch when he glared at her and gave her a chilling warning, "If something happens to Sakura, I'll hold you responsible." That was the last thing he said and hastily left, sprinting away from the area towards the location Tenten pointed to. It was fine even if she was persecuted, or hated. That was fine.

Taking out her cell phone from her pocket, she gazed over the picture message with remorse. The picture of Karin being pushed into a car by a middle aged man brought chills along her spine. This picture was what pushed Tenten into manipulating Sakura into saving Akashi Karin. She tried to satisfy her own righteousness by pushing the task onto someone else.

Tenten thought she was doing the right thing, but when she opened the new picture that was sent to her minutes ago, those thoughts were instantly vanquished. It might look like a harmless photo between Karin and another man in his mid-20s at first glance, but after looking at it more closely, it was clear that Karin was flinching away from the man's touch. His arms were around her, leaning towards a Karin who tried to distance herself from him.

There was also a message attached saying, "Uchiha Sasuke's fiancée―a sex addict!"

Tenten immediately panicked after reading it. This was horrible. How could she send Sakura into such danger?

With a group of men, mostly older by Ami's side, the chances of Sakura getting out of there was slim. She wouldn't stand a chance getting out of there unharmed while protecting someone.

What had she done?

"I don't care what punishment I'll be given, but please: let help get there on time," Tenten prayed.

That was the only thing she could do at this point.

* * *

Ami's startled expression immediately turned dark when she recognized the intruder. "Sakura," she hissed.

Karin couldn't believe her eyes. Sakura? Her rival Haruno Sakura was the one that was here… to save her? That couldn't be.

What was she doing here?

Sakura smiled pleasantly at her nemesis' reaction. "And oh" ―She briefly looked around their location, boldly turning her back to Ami like a taunt of overconfidence that Ami detested― "You really have no originality."

Ami's head throbbed painfully in irritation. "And who are you to judge me? You're nothing."

"Well, we were _friends_, weren't we? Isn't that what friends do―judge each other."

Karin could only watch helplessly as her savior continued to taunt her assailant. There was something seriously wrong with their conversation: that wasn't how friends should be.

Or rather, there was something definitely wrong with their relationship.

Sakura was able to circle flawlessly around the room until she now stood before the perplexed Karin. She remained her focus towards Ami who continued to justify her superiority towards everyone else and ignored Karin's questionable whispers.

"When it comes to judging people―I am the only one who's qualified to do so," Ami retorted strongly.

Sakura chuckled, "Typical Ami; you never learn do you?"

"What are you doing?" Karin asked once more, trying to avert Sakura's attention to her.

"You're still the same even after all these years."

Getting annoyed because of being continuously ignored, Karin took the time to stand up that no one seemed to have noticed. However, Sakura showed that she was aware of Karin's actions and murmured still facing Ami, "Can you try to get away?"

Thankfully, Ami was too absorbed with fixing her damaged ego.

Sensing Karin's distress before the girl showed it, Sakura tried to explain to her. "I'll distract them. When you find an opening―run. Get out of this place."

It was the same as being slapped on the face. How could Karin just run and leave her behind in kind of situation? She was not at all grateful that her rival was trying to protect her, not when her pride has been hurt. She was offended in being in this kind of situation where the one person she had to rely on was the person she never would've expected. It was offensive like being looked down upon.

Torn by what she should do, Karin could only listen to the continuous argument between the two individuals who clearly had a distinctive past together.

When Sakura said nothing, Ami averted her gaze towards Karin, who immediately flinched at her penetrating gaze. "I see it now… this situation reminds me of something. It's just like that time with that girl. Though I can't remember what her name is?"

As expected, Sakura's attitude changed now glaring at Ami. "Her name is Tsubasa―"

"Oh yeah―that's right, Tsubasa! How is she now by the way?" Ami asked as if inquiring about a common friend, enjoying the change in Sakura's attitude.

"I know what you did, Ami. That time two years ago where you arranged to have Tsubasa 'punished' for being close to Sai. You used my phone to send her a message, knowing she would go anywhere you ask her too. I don't care if you used my name or wanted me to get in trouble for it, but… how dare you do such a thing!"

Ami scoffed. "Don't act all high and mighty when you wanted the same thing to happen as well."

"I didn't want her to be raped!"

Karin gasped, that statement confirming her doubts and making her choice easier. Raped? She was brought her to be violated and humiliated. The girl they were talking about… was the same thing done to her as well? Bile rose up from her stomach making her lurch. Ugh, she felt sick to her stomach.

"I would never want such a thing," Sakura denied strongly.

Ami chuckled, "What are you talking about? We even planned it together―"

"In which I repeatedly told you I didn't want any part into. And yet, you made it look like it was my plan all along just to get back at me. Your inferiority complex is getting tiring Ami."

Shrugging as if it was nothing, Ami said, "I was doing you a favor. Admit it; you wanted her gone as well so you can have Sai-kun. It was a matter of friendship."

_Friendship my ass_, Karin thought condescendingly.

How superficial; even now Ami didn't seem to realize that the Sai at their school was the same as the transfer student named Arisugaki Sai, though Sakura doubted that Ami could be that stupid. Maybe, time just changed things and Ami just found Uchiha Sasuke more worthy of her affections. "You weren't doing me a favor and you know it. All you were trying to do was making sure that you didn't have to deal with the repercussions. You wanted to get of both Tsubasa and me in one move. That's why you planned to make me as your scapegoat―somebody to blame for your cruel deeds.

"I might not have paid for your crime, but you should be happy. Everybody else thought I was the one at fault. No one even thought of thinking of anyone else." Sai and Tsubasa blamed her for it. Sakura may not have paid for the crime, but her relationship with both individuals had changed because of it.

"From the sound of it, it seems you're still keeping in touch with that loser. Tell me, how is she by the way. Is she still traumatized by that?" Ami laughed, finding Tsubasa's weakness humorous, "She's lucky she wasn't even raped, even though she always gets in my way. It's quite unfortunate I wasn't able to pay her back with her meddling."

Karin could barely stand being in the room any longer. Watanabe Ami was such a messed up person, and Haruno Sakura was actually trying to converse with this crazy person. It might be to distract her, but the topic of their conversation wasn't something Karin didn't feel comfortable listening into.

There was no way for the situation to continue going this smoothly. Soon, one of them was bound to snap at the other, and Karin wasn't willing to stick around and be there for it. She had to escape somehow.

Oddly enough, she was given such a chance when Sakura's abrupt chuckle engulfed the entire building, echoing around them. Ami's confused frown along with her cronies' attention remained focused on Sakura's laughing figure, giving Karin the opening to slip out of the door unnoticed.

Ami's frown turned suspicious. "What are you laughing about?"

"I was just thinking how wrong you are Ami. All this time you've been focusing your attention on the wrong people… then and now."

"Excuse me."

"The person's always been in your way all this time is me." Sakura smiled triumphantly. She had noticed Karin had already slipped away, but could now barely remember what her main intention was. She was only supposed to distract them, but now it was different. This wasn't about just Karin or Tsubasa. Everything was entirely about her and Ami. This was what she should have done from the very beginning.

Consequences be damned! If she could rile this person up, who had been the consequent thorn at her side, she would be satisfied. This had been prolonged long enough.

"The person that Arisugaki had always liked wasn't Tsubasa, it was me."

Ami's eyes widened in disbelief, but she quickly reclaimed her lost composure and said, "So what? It's not like he matters anymore. He doesn't hold my interest any longer."

"I know, but I still wanted to tell you anyway," Sakura replied placidly. "And adding to the fact, or rather confirmed rumors that Uchiha Sasuke was my childhood friend and ex-fiancé, we date for a short while. The videos were true as well; we were close as children and even promised to marry each other when we were older."

She purposely didn't bring Akashi Karin into the picture, knowing that Ami wasn't too bright to ask about her.

"So you see, all this time, I've always been ahead of you. No one has ever chosen you, and I doubt anyone ever will."

That did it. Sakura was immediately shoved backwards after Ami grabbed her hair and started shaking her, slapping her repeatedly as she yelled. Sakura didn't bother to fight back and even expected it. She couldn't wipe the smile off her face, and that must've only fuelled Ami's anger even further and her hits got stronger, using anything and everything she could think of to cause pain for Sakura. It wasn't long for Sakura to fall down on the ground, her face arms and body bruised and bleeding from cuts and scratches.

How peculiar that Sakura wasn't feeling the pain regardless of being beaten into a pulp. Ami's anger was an ointment for her wounds, filling her with victorious pleasure. And here she thought she had gotten rid of this dark side of hers. She took each blow with pride, taking it without any ounce of protest.

But then, Ami stopped. Wondering why that was so, Sakura looked up at Ami. The lack of fear in Sakura's eyes brought Ami over the edge and she said, "Since I failed with Tsubasa last time, I'll make sure you get the worst punishment for it. I'll have you raped, taking not only your share but those two girls as well. I'm going to have you raped over and over that you're going to wish you were dead.

"After I'm done with you, you would never dare show your face to anyone ever again."

It was a declaration―a promise.

Before she could properly process Ami's shocking plans, Sakura was already being dragged by two men towards a mattress lying near them.

* * *

Itachi stared outside of the window, thinking back to the last conversation he had with his younger brother.

"_Who shall it be, then?" A beat of silence thrummed between the brothers, while Itachi placidly waited for Sasuke's reply._

"_Before I tell you my decision, I want you to explain something to me first."_

"_I'm listening," Itachi confirmed, urging Sasuke to continue._

"_What's the point of doing this? For what; what's your goal?" Sasuke asked._

_Itachi admired Sasuke's newfound patience despite purposely prolonging his answer. And yet, he continued to avoid answering the question. "Will my answer affect your choice in any way?"_

_It clearly showed in his face the irritation of not being answered properly. However, unlike his brother, there was no need for Sasuke to lie. "No, it won't," Sasuke honestly replied._

"_Then I will answer your question once you tell me who you choose?"_

"_Sakura… I choose Sakura."_

_It was the first time Itachi didn't know how to respond and they were soon engulfed in silence._

_**TBC**_

* * *

**A/N: **I really do appreciate the reviews, and I would appreciate to see what you guys thought of this chapter. With the end creeping up closer and closer, the efforts in finishing the chapters are becoming harder and harder. I'm sure you guys know what I mean.

* * *

**Chapter 31―Trauma**

Just when he finally had a chance to talk to Sakura, there wasn't any sign of her. Was this his punishment from hurting her over and over?

"_Sasuke…"_

He turned to see if the sound of hearing her voice calling his name was a hallucination. However, to his aching relief, she was there, standing outside of the doorway looking at him in surprise.

She was here. He wasn't dreaming.

"Sakura," he called back.

Was Itachi right? Was he already too late?

* * *

**Updated: **September 16, 2011


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